Transformational Income: Seeking Employment

Napoleon Hill, in his classic Think and Grow Rich, delineates the attributes of a leader and those factors that cause failure in leadership. These sections, and his advice on developing a “Master Mind” group are moving us toward the goal of selling ourselves. For many of us, that means applying for a job. Unfortunately, this is where Hill’s book, written in 1937, fails us. Not that his advice is not good. It was. Sixty years ago.

But Hill knew nothing of the internet, social networking, and more modern hiring practices. To fill the gap and update Hill’s advice, I am turning to the internet and the social/business networking site LinkedIn to share this advice from Dumont Gerken Owens, PhD, Certified Career Management Coach. Appended is an insightful comment to her article by William Knegendorf, a Boomer who works in Professional Training and Coaching.

Dr. Owens posted this in the Boomer Nation group in LinkedIn:

“It takes courage and the willingness to accept responsibility to succeed in today’s job market. For many of us, this is a totally new experience. We’ve mastered the tried-and-true methods of successful job searches that worked for us in the past. But now, a faster, more networked world (and a still-challenging economy) requires job hunters to develop new approaches and skills. For many of us this is confusing, and the source of much stress.

Unemployment has consistently ranked third on the list of major stressors, right behind death and divorce. Uncertainty about how to overcome new challenges only adds to that stress. Try a few of these tips to gain control over your own career path.

Define your end goal and create a road map to get there. Include potential barriers and strategies to overcome them.

Take each aspect of your job search and break it down into manageable pieces. If your goal is to contact 200 employers in two months it can be pretty overwhelming. But if you shift your focus and instead think of the daily tasks, it breaks down to just four or five contacts per day. Not nearly as intimidating.

Don’t waste time on cover letters. Most employers use databases that only search resumes. Even those recruiters who do read cover letters report that they are more likely to hurt rather than help the candidate.

Craft your resumes to each position for which you apply. Put the most important information at the top. Use a summary of significant accomplishments (including metrics or percentages) as a demonstration of the value you will add to the organization. Don’t forget to include the key words that will be used to select candidates.

Approach networking as a manageable process. Many clients report that networking is their number one fear. But it’s also the most powerful way to create the contacts and supporters you will need to uncover job leads and develop champions for your candidacy. Make this easier by starting small. If you’re attending a networking event, research the registrants and identify three to five people you want to meet. Warm them up by sending e-mail in advance, to let them know you’re looking forward to meeting them. Add something from your research to establish a common bond.

Prepare for your interviews. Research the organization and its current challenges, competitors, financials and potential for growth. Develop SMART stories as recommended by Susan Whitcomb, noted author of the “Magic” Series. Describe a Situation or challenge you have faced in the past and include Metrics or percentages to indicate success. Describe the Actions you took to resolve the situation. Summarize the Results of your actions and Tie them back to a question or Theme from the interview.

Remember that even in the worst job market, the best-prepared candidates still find jobs. The rules of the job search may have changed, but you can adapt and succeed! Take control of the situation and propel yourself into a career that will be satisfying and rewarding.

Reprint Rights: You may reprint this article as long as you leave all of the links active, do not edit the article in any way, and give the author name credit.
Copyright 2010 – Dumont Gerken Owen, Ph.D. All Rights Reserved.

William Knegendorf • “Dumont, while each suggestion you present has value, inside your “200 employers in two months” suggestio
I believe there is a gold nugget shining bright. Since we are really only looking for one opportunity, every five employers that can be eliminated up front saves us another day and enormous energy. If we can eliminate 100 of the 200 employers by careful targeting only the employers that will most benefit from the activities we can do for them immediately, we save a month, untold effort, and some expense. How can we do that most easily? Take WEEK 1 and 1) Determine exactly what would be your best work, 2) Research what company would most benefit from having you do that for them, 3) Find who would be the hiring manager(s) within that company that would most benefit from having you do that for them PERSONALLY, and 4) Practice a 90 second statement of what you would say to that person if they were standing/sitting next to you right now. OK, one week is gone and, on average, we have identified 3-5 individuals to “accidentally meet” over the next two – three weeks where we will casually present a 90 second verbal picture of how they will clearly benefit by having you focused on their success. Let’s review, we’ve saved a month, saved sending out 200 resume’s, saved the frustration of 200 non-responses, increased our effectiveness because we understand exactly how we are going to benefit the targeted hiring managers, and our enthusiasm is through the roof because we see that we don’t have to get a traditional “interview” to win. Since we only need 90 seconds at any point in their waking day to have the “Connected Conversation”, we have shown how special we are by both a) showing we believe it is all about the benefit to the hiring manager, and b) taking the necessary action to let the hiring manager know how dedicated we are to helping them achieve their goals. This special little “Gold Nugget” approach is a refinement within the much larger traditional “200 company in two months” process. Either one is available. Sorry to run on so long.”