Transition Cafe set for February 2

The next Transition Cafe networking meeting is scheduled for Thursday, February 2nd from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM.   This event provides structured networking opportunities for executives  in career transition.  A multitude of networking opportunities are available in the Nashville area; however, this group provides a special venue for senior level professionals.  I facilitate this group with Dan Aronoff, and we would be delighted for you to attend.   Details are below:  

When: Thursday, February 2nd, 9:00 AM.

Where:
First Farmers & Merchants Bank (near the Marriott Cool Springs)
300 Billingsly Court
Franklin, TN 37067615-202-0225

Cost: $15 with pre-registration; $20 for all at the door, space permitting.

Meeting Facilitators:
Dan Aronoff (615) 202-0225;  danaronoff@comcast.net

Dorrie Presson (615) 336-6432  info@dorriepresson.com

Agenda:
9:00 am – 9:30 am – Registration and Continental Breakfast
9:30 am – 11:00 am – Structured Networking

Agenda: Continental Breakfast, then networking around the table, giving everyone an opportunity to have face-to-face conversations with one another that will lead to contact and lead generation. Dress is business casual.

Make sure you bring your business cards (at least 20), smartphone contacts and any job leads. And, be prepared to give and to receive.

Please contact me via phone or email if you’d like to join us this Thursday!

A Sister’s Gift for the New Year

One of many wonderful surprise Christmas gifts from my older sister, Margie, was a small wooden container full of homemade cards with inspirational thoughts.  It’s labeled “Self Empowerment Tool Kit.”  Margie told me that she’d spotted it at a local consignment store and hoped I might  be able to use it in my coaching work. 

It seemed appropriate to share my favorites from the “tool kit” on this first day of 2012.  (I regret that I don’t know to whom to attribute the following words of wisdom.)

Keep your eyes on the prize

Set goals and know what you want, where you want to be, and how you will get there.  You will be empowered by every step you make towards your goals.

Stretch yourself beyond your comfort zone

Know your safety limits, but also dare to take risks.  Don’t be afraid to face your fears, and step out of your comfort zone.  If you always do what you’ve always done, you will always get what you’ve always got. 

Embrace change

The dragonfly represents change.  In order to grow, you must be wiling to change. Change will do you good.

Penny for your thoughts

Your thoughts and opinions matter.  Don’t be afraid to express yourself.  Talk about your fears, your needs, your ideas, and your dreams. 

Erase your mistakes

Don’t beat yourself up over mistakes you make.  Erase your mistakes but learn from them and do better the next time around.

 Tip up loose ends

Don’t leave things undone as things undone clutter the mind. Tie up loose ends, finish what you start and you will feel accomplished and empowered to move on to the next tasks. 

Spread your wings and live

You are capable of so much; spread your wings and live your life as if you were a butterly.  Explore, take time to smell the flowers and enjoy life!

I encourage you to live these out…and have an amazing year in 2012!

8 Tips for a Successful Search

Ready to land the job of your dreams in 2012?  Then be aware of the following 8 ways that jobseekers can sabotage their success. 

1. Lack of  clarity regarding your target role and industry.

Before launching your search, take the time to get crystal clear on the functional role and industries you will target in your job search.  Without this critcal step, the search will lack focus and result in a much longer search than necessary.   This is also a step to complete before working on your résumé.

2. Inability to articulate your value.

What are your unique attributes –your skills, strengths, values, and passions?  How are you different or special from other job seekers seeking the same role?  If you aren’t yet able to articulate your personal brand, then do some self assessment before moving forward in the search.

3.  Spending too much time searching job boards.

While the job boards may be one part of a search strategy, using the online boards certainly isn’t the only or most effective way to search for a job.  In fact, less than 5% of those in a job search land their position through an online posting, so time spent on this activity ought to reflect this very low success rate.  On the other hand, since networking leads to a job offer for nearly 80% of job seekers, plan your time spent on this strategy accordingly. 

4. Ineffective networking.

Before you ever contact the first person  for a networking meeting, do the necessary prep work to make  a positive impression and get the most helpful information from your contact.  Create a one page Marketing Plan that includes such things as your value proposition, ideal positions, target companies, recent positions / employers, and education. By sharing a document such as this with your networking contacts, you’ll be much more likely to have a productive meeting and get the information and referrals you’re looking for.  And don’t forget to keep in touch with your network so that you stay “top of mind”–perhaps sending a quick update every 3 weeks or so.

5. Overlooking  the importance of social media  in today’s job search

Social media continues to grow in its influence in the job search process.   Embrace the benefits that LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter can bring.  Social networks are a powerful way to connect directly with recruiters and hiring managers and to promote your personal brand online.   Want to learn more?  I’d recommend Joshua Waldman’s excellent book, Job Searching with Social Media for Dummies.

6. Failure to devote enough time to your search

Taking an organized, planned approach to your search, with adequate time devoted to key job search activities, will go a long way towards landing a job more quickly.  If you are unemployed, some would say that job searching should be your new, full-time job.  Another view is offered by Steve Dalton who suggests spending just two hours a day in his new book, The 2-Hour Job Search:  Using Technology to Get the Right Job Faster.  I haven’t read it yet — but plan to — and will be sure to post my review

7. Lose motivation after lack of results in early stages.

If you persevere in giving your best effort and doing the right things in your search, you will be successful.  At the end of the week, celebrate all that you accomplished rather than just focusing on whether or not you have landed a new job.   

8. Inadequate preparation for interviewing

Anticipate the interview questions you might be asked, and then practice your responses out loud.  You don’t want to ”wing it” when it comes to interviewing, so ask your spouse or a friend to help you prepare via a mock interview. Develop 15 – 20 stories to tell in response to the expected behavioral questions that begin with “Tell me about a time when…”    No need to memorize your stories…just the 3-4 points you want to get across that highlight your strengths and are relevant to the positon. 

So in which of these areas will you make adjustments in order to land that coveted position ?

Networking for Job Search is Like Planting Bulbs

This weekend I spent several hours planting colorful pansies as well crocus and iris bulbs in my front yard.  The purple, yellow and white pansies add spots of color that make me smile.  My across-the-street neighbor, Cathy, complimented my pansy plantings, which helped me feel even better about my gardening efforts.

On the other hand, I experienced no immediate gratification for the hard work of planting 150 crocus and iris bulbs about four inches beneath the soil, and the digging, preparation of the beds, and planting actually took considerably more time and effort than the pansies.  The lovely display of blooms pictured on the bulb packaging helped provide motivation to continue with my bulb planting project despite knowing that I wouldn’t see any results for my efforts for at least 3-4 months. 

What does planting bulbs have to do with networking?  If you’ve been in a job search for any length of time, you’ve no doubt learned that networking is the most effective way to land your next position.  At least 60% of jobs are found through networking, and I’ve even seen some numbers as high as 80%.  What’s odd is that while most people understand that networking is the key to a successful job search, I don’t see many job seekers who are actively pursuing a strategic networking plan.  Unfortunately, networking can be like bulb planting because of the lack of an immediate ROI for networking efforts.  The seeds you plant today in a networking meeting might not ”bloom” until several months later when that individual learns about a new position in her company that would be a perfect fit for you.  

I’ve heard plenty of job seekers share that they have applied for hundreds of online job postings, and that applying online has been the sole activity in their search.  Pursuing online postings can give the illusion of productivity.  (I applied for five jobs today!)  Most people don’t realize the dismal statistics–that only 5-10% of those in a search have success landing a position using this approach. 

Networking can be difficult, requires patience, and rarely brings immediate results.  But it is how every job seeker should be spending the majority of their time.  In my next post, I’ll share some ideas for designing a smart and effective plan for your job search networking.   

What “bulbs” are you planting this week as part of your networking strategy?

Finding Your Purpose

In this powerful three minute video, Richard Leider, best-selling author (The Power of Purpose, Whistle While You Work:  Heeding Your Life’s Calling) shares his definition of the good life.  According to Leider, the good life is “living in the place you belong, with the people you love, while doing the right work–on purpose.”   I appreciate Leider’s clear explanation of  the steps to clarify who you are and what you want out of life.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNR9RBEJ0Uo

Enjoy and be inspired to find your purpose.

Five Questions to Uncover Your Dream Career

In yesterday’s post, I referenced Jon Acuff’s book, “Quitter.”  It’s an excellent read full of wise counsel for those who are ready to leave their “day” job for their “dream” job. 

If you are at the stage of clarifying what your dream job looks like, Acuff also has some wise counsel for you, including the following five questions to ask yourself:

1. What do I love enough to do for free?

What is is that you enjoy enough that you’d do it even if no one paid you for it?

2. What do I do that causes time to feel different?

What are you doing when you are so “in flow” and “in the zone” that you lose all track of time?  According to Acuff, “time shifts when you’re doing what you love.”

3. What do I enjoy doing regardless of the opinions of other people? 

What would you do even if you never received affirmation for it? 

4.  If only your life changed, would that be enough?

Is the journey itself reward enough for you?  And what if is has no impact on others? 

5.  Are there consistencies in the things you like doing?

What patterns do you see in your life experiences (both positive and negative lessons)?

Take some time to give thought to these questions–you might just come a bit closer to identifying your dream career!

Career Decision Making: An Act of Recovery

I strongly recommend Jon Acuff’s new book, ”Quitter,” for anyone thinking about leaving their “day” job for their “dream” job.  

If you don’t want to continue in your current path but aren’t sure what’s next, then Acuff also has some suggestions for you, including a key question to focus on.

I appreciate the way he outlines the difference between a discovery and a recovery question, and why the recovery question is the one to explore. 

“It’s exhausting.  The question, ‘what do I want to do with my life?’  is nearly impossible to answer confidently and concisely.  You’re really asking, ‘How do I discover what I want to do with my life?’  That is a question that points you into the vast expanse of the entire universe for an answer.  But if finding your dream is an act of recovery, that changes everything.  Instead, the question becomes ‘What have I done in my life that I loved doing?’ Instead of a million different options from out there, you’re suddenly left with a manageable handful of options from within your own experience.”

So start giving thought to your life and history and to what you’ve consistently loved doing.  Do any patterns emerge?  I’ll share some additional helpful insights from Acuff and questions for career clarity in my next post.

Online Tools for the Job Search

 
With today’s job search becoming longer and more complicated, I wanted to share a few of my favorite online tools that make the search just a little easier.  Good news:  all are offered at no cost, though a few offer upgrades for a small fee.    

 

 

JibberJobber.com and JobKatch.com

Both JibberJobber and JobKatch offer excellent  tools to organize and keep track of the large amount of data gathered through the course of a job search including networking contacts, job leads, company information, and interviews scheduled.   JobKatch is in Beta while JibberJobber has been around for awhile. 

StartWire.com

Nearly every job seeker has at one time been frustrated by the black hole of the online job search.   Complaints abound regarding the countless hours spent submitting online applications but hearing absolutely nothing back (hence, the reference to the “black hole”).  The mission of StartWire is to solve the “black hole” syndrome of job boards by providing updates about the status of online applications. With StartWire, job seekers that apply for jobs can track all of the jobs that they apply for and have real-time updates on where those applications stand.  Currently, StartWire (in Beta) works with 5100+ companies, and the number is growing.  

Wordle.net

Wordle is a tool for creating “word clouds’ from text.  In the cloud, more prominence is given to words that appear more frequently in the source text.  When applying to posted positions, this can be a helpful way to quickly see key words in a job description. 

Visual CV.com

A multi-media online resume can help job seekers differentiate themselves and present a more compelling picture of  their background and skills. A  Visual CV might include a video intro, pictures, and work samples. 

Vizibility.com

The aim of Vizibility is to allow anyone to customize personal Google search results so the right ones, the top 5 that you select, are what someone sees when they click on your Vizibility link.  Vizibility provides a Searchme link that can be included in an email signature, résumé, blog or website. 

What are your favorite online tools for the job search?   

 

Tune into Labor Day

Isn’t it ironic that we celebrate “Labor Day” with a day off from work?   In honor of the holiday, I thought I’d share a “top ten” playlist of work-themed songs.

9 to 5 – Dolly Parton

Car Wash – Rose Royce

She Works Hard for the Money – Donna Summer

Take This Job and Shove It – Johnnie Paycheck

Workin for a Livin’ – Huey Lewis

Taking Care of Business – Bachmann Turner Overdrive

Blue Collar Man – Styx

Working in a Coal Mine – Lee Dorsey

Manic Monday – Bangles

Something More –Jennifer Nettles

What are some of your favorites?

Beyond Sweet Dreams

I recently had the pleasure of hearing CeCe Moore share the story behind the phenomenal success of her Sweet CeCe’s chain of frozen yogurt shops.  Launched just two years ago with a single store, Sweet CeCe’s has grown to 50 locations in 5 states, with a goal to open 200 by 2013. 

In this article, I share some highlights from CeCe’s message as well as some lessons to learn from her experiences.   

According to CeCe, she held onto the dream of opening up a “sweets” shop for many years, intensely researching different ideas, from a bakery to just cupcakes to finally deciding on a self-serve frozen yogurt concept.    She kept dreaming while raising four children and devoting herself to managing her husband Brian’s chiropractic business.  When CeCe and Brian decided to move from California (where his practice was struggling), she spent hours on the internet researching cities that would be perfect for her family, Brian’s business, and the launch of Sweet CeCe’s. 

Take away: Big dreams may take years to bring to life.  Be patient in the process and celebrate the small steps of progress along the way. 

When the family had finally moved across the country and settled in Franklin,TN, CeCe and Brian conducted detailed research to identify possible locations for the shop.  Once they selected an ideal spot, they tackled lease negotiations, the transformation of the space, and finding suppliers to provide the best and freshest products.   Then the real work began!  From unloading boxes of supplies to cleaning the frozen yogurt machines, operating the business was no piece of cake. 

Take away:  The popular catch-phrase “Do what you love and the money will follow” suggests that if we simply follow our passion, success will be easy.  CeCe’s story demonstrates that success takes not just passion but also a commitment to make the less than glamorous day-to-day effort.

 CeCe initially intended to open and operate just one location of “Sweet CeCe’s,” but the early, phenomenal success of the first shop quickly changed that plan.  Brian left his work in healthcare to devote his time and talents full-time to his wife’s business, leading the charge for growth through the development of the Sweet CeCe’s franchise.  Additional business partners have joined the Moore’s to  lend their expertise.  In just two years, approximately 50 Sweet CeCe’s franchise locations have opened, with more on the way!

Take away:  A dream can grow into more than you ever imagined if you’ll seek the help and expertise from  others.

For the Moore’s, their mission statement has simply been to have “a purpose greater than thy self.” CeCe shared that it brings her great delight to see people enjoying the Sweet CeCe’s experience.  She’s especially thrilled that teenagers consider it a “cool” location to hang out.  In addition, creating Sweet CeCe’s franchise opportunities has allowed others to share in her success.   In fact, a single mother who opened a Sweet CeCe’s franchise last year has already done so well that she was able to celebrate by taking her children on a cruise for their family vacation.

Take away:  Success is much sweeter when you can bring others along to share it with you.  Everyone involved in the business is now reaping the benefits of one woman’s dream.

What else can you learn from CeCe’s story?