The Exclusive Career Coach

  This month, I’m taking a week for each of the components of the thought model as developed by my coach, Brooke Castillo.     She created the thought model as a combination of various thought leaders and teachers she studied early in her career as a life coach. I’ve talked about the model before, but if you haven’t heard those conversations, let me give you the big picture. Circumstance With any situation in your life, you have a neutral circumstance. This is the fact of the situation, devoid of any emotion or bias. The circumstance is the only part of the thought model over which you have no control – and that’s great news. Thought This is your thought about that circumstance. The sentence in your head. Feeling This is your emotion about the thought you’re having. Action This is the step you take – the action – based on the thought you’re having and the feeling that thought generated. It can also be a reaction or inaction. Result This is the result you achieve based on the action, inaction, or reaction. Today, I want to hone in on your actions. The things you are doing – or not doing – that are generating the results in your life. Actions include reactions and inactions. Your actions are a direct result of your feelings, which are a direct result of your thoughts. If you have a feeling of hopelessness towards your job search, the action you are likely to take is inaction. You do nothing. After all, it’s hopeless, so what’s the point in trying? If you have a feeling of confidence in your ability to give a stellar presentation, you prepare for that presentation, sleep well the night before, make sure you arrive early, and wear a great outfit. You are confident, and the actions you will take are those of a confident person. If you have a feeling of hate towards your job, the action you are likely to take is either reaction – you react negatively to people who say they like their job or the company you work for – or inaction because you’re not going to be engaged in a job you hate. If you have a feeling of gratitude towards your employer, the action you are likely to take is to give your best effort and double down on the work you produce. You have gratitude towards your employer, so the steps you take will step from that feeling of gratitude. Notice there is nothing in these examples about what someone else is doing to give you these feelings and actions. I didn’t say you felt hopeless towards your job search because you’ve gotten rejected 25 times or that you have confidence in your ability to give a stellar presentation because you are a master presenter. You generate these feelings – positive or negative – and the subsequent actions because of the thoughts you are having. NOT because of the circumstance. After all, you could just as easily feel optimistic about your job search, because you are thinking you have an effective job search in place. You continue to take action from a place of optimism and confidence. After all, a lengthy job search does not have to equal a feeling of hopelessness. A feeling of optimism is available to you, and doesn’t that feel much better? You are feeling hate towards your job because you are thinking hateful thoughts. Why not instead think grateful thoughts? After all, you have a job and that job generates a paycheck and benefits for you. You’re learning tons about yourself and what you want/don’t want in an employer. And you’re gaining skills and experience. Woo hoo! Sounds great. From this place of grateful, you will be a better performer, a better team player, and a better ambassador for your company and your field of work. Lots of upside. My coach says we’re all delusional, so we might as well be delusional in our favor. There’s simply no upside to acting upon negative feelings. Next week we’re going to talk about how the actions you take – or inactions or reactions – give you the results you are experiencing in your life. Here’s your assignment for this week: Each day, notice an action, inaction, or reaction you are taking and trace it back to a thought. Then decide if this is an action, inaction, or reaction you want to be taking. If it is, pay attention to that thought and practice it so you will continue to take the action you want to be taking. If it isn’t an action you want to be taking, how can you adjust that thought to give you a different feeling and cause you to take a different action? Remember, you’re not likely to believe a 180-degree different thought, so make small, consistent corrections in your thoughts until they are exactly where you want them to be. If you’re doing the model correctly, the action will always align with the thought. In other words, if you called in sick from work today (and you weren’t sick), the thought in your head isn’t “I love my job.” If you worked through the weekend to create a stellar proposal for Monday’s meeting, your thought wasn’t “I’m incompetent at my job.” If you killed a job interview, your thought wasn’t “I don’t know how to interview.” Here’s another exercise for you: Decide what thought you would need to have to generate these positive actions: -Apply for a promotion at your company. -Volunteer for a key assignment. -Get involved in a civic organization. -Go back to school for an advanced degree, a certification, or just to study a subject you’re passionate about. -Start a blog, podcast, book…whatever has been in your soul to do. www.exclusivecareercoaching.com   Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of valuable career management content in easily digestible bites. Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk. Here’s the link to schedule a 30-minute consult call with me:  www.timetrade.com/book/D6KLN. Hope to see you soon!     

  All this month, we’re talking about networking. So far, we’ve covered why networking is so important, talked about a better, more strategic way to network, and covered a variety of places to network and how to make the most of those networking opportunities. Today, let’s talk about quid pro quo. How to give as much value as you get when you’re networking. Most of us aren’t comfortable with just taking and not giving back, whether it is in networking or anything else. I call this being a networking barnacle. The process I will be describing is specifically for one-on-one networking meetings with people you already know, or who are on the same level as you professionally. Let’s say you have a 30-minute coffee date with a networking contact. Here are the steps to make this successful: 1. Make the first 20 minutes about them. Ask questions, give input, or just be a listening ear. When you do this first, the other person will be more than willing to help you out when it’s your turn. I promise, even if you think you can't possible provide value to the other person - you can.  2. When it’s your turn, have a specific ask. Do your homework and know exactly what you want this person to do for you. Who do you want them to introduce you to? Use LinkedIn to find out who they are connected to that can move you a step along in your networking efforts.  3. Follow up. Because you have made a specific ask, it is easy to follow up with an email to thank the other person, remind them of how you helped them and that they agreed to introduce you to a certain person (or whatever they agreed to).   www.exclusivecareercoaching.com   Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of value career management content is easily digestible bites.   Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk. Here’s the link to schedule a 30-minute consult call with me:  www.timetrade.com/book/D6KLN. Hope to see you soon!     

All this month, I’m doing a deep dive into networking. So far I’ve talked about why networking is important and how most people go about networking. I’ve also told you about my Bow and Arrow Approach to networking. Today, let’s talk about where you can network. The events or organizations that can provide significant potential benefit to networking for a new job. 1. Chamber of Commerce networking events. 2. Civic club meetings. 3.  SHRM (Society of Human Resource Management). 4. Non-profit fundraisers. 5. Affinity groups. 6. Community organizations. 7. Alumni gatherings. 8. Community festivals or events. 9. Organized networking events. 10. Church or other religious establishments. 11. Professional meetings. 12. Career fairs. 13. LinkedIn groups. Let’s talk about how to make the most of these networking events. Here are my NUMBER top tips:   1. Set a goal. Decide ahead of time what will constitute success for each networking event, and get to making it happen. Is it the number of people you want to speak to, particular people you want to speak to, a resource you want to identify? 2. Prepare a brief elevator pitch. I like to keep the initial intro to one sentence. If the other person is interested in knowing more, they will ask. If not, you haven’t wasted your breath. -You can give your name, job title, and current employer -You can give your name and the position you’re seeking -If you have your own business, you can tease them with what service you provide. 3. Free up your hands. Put your business cards in one pocket, and the cards you collect from others in a different pocket. Women, leave your purse in your car so you can be hands-free. 4. Position yourself. The two best places to stand in order to meet people is near the food or near the beverage station. Avoid getting stuck in a corner where it’s more difficult to get away from someone who is monopolizing your time. 5. Make notes immediately. Once you’ve met with someone, turn their business card over and make notes about your conversation. Do it right away, before you move on to the next person. 6. Connect on LinkedIn. Connect immediately with everyone whose business card you get at the networking event. Remind them that you met them at the networking event. 7. Schedule one-on-one meetings as appropriate. For those people you want to further the relationship with, schedule one-on-one meetings as soon as possible.   www.exclusivecareercoaching.com Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of value career management content is easily digestible bites. Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk. Here’s the link to schedule a 30-minute consult call with me:  www.timetrade.com/book/D6KLN. Hope to see you soon!    

This month, I’ve done episodes covering your Motivated Skills, your personality preferences using the framework of the MBTI, your Core Values, and your Areas of Expertise in making career decisions. Remember, I’ve talked about the macro- and micro-level of career decisions. On the macro level, you are making a decision about the career path you will follow. On a micro-level, you are using this information to make decisions about which jobs to take. On an even more micro-level, you are using the knowledge to guide projects, programs, committee assignments, and job duties…or to help you boss make these same decisions. Today I want to bring all of these things together. First, a refresher. Motivated Skills: Those skills that you are both very good at and get a great deal of pleasure from doing. The reason they are called Motivated Skills is because the more you do them, the more motivated you will be about your work. The opposite of Motivated Skills is Burnout Skills. Burnout Skills are those skills that you are very good at, but DON’T get any pleasure from doing. In fact, these skills suck the motivation right out of you. The more you have to perform Burnout Skills in your work, the more likely you are to…you guessed it…burn out. A few examples of Motivated Skills are Writing, Presentation Skills, Customer Service, Working with Numerical Data, Research, Mechanical Reasoning, Troubleshooting, Teaching, and Planning. Personality: Using the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) as the framework, it measures personality preferences on four scales and identifies one of 16 personality types based on your responses. The MBTI identifies your innate preferences…the way you prefer to handle a situation or task if given the option. The preference pairs of the MBTI are: Extraversion vs. Introversion, which is your orientation to the outer world…where you get your energy from. Sensing vs. Intuition, which is your preferred way of taking in information, and they type of information you prefer to work with. Thinking vs. Feeling, which is your preferred decision-making style. Judging vs. Perceiving, which is how you order your world. Core Values: What is most important to you in an employer, a work environment, and the specific work you’re doing. Identifying these “non-negotiable” values helps you align your career choices with what is most important to you. And alignment increases your chance for career success, compensation, and satisfaction. Here are a few sample Values: Utilize physical strength and coordination Utilize courage and take risks Utilize creativity and originality Opportunity for advancement Ability to do a job as efficiently as possible Receive recognition for accomplishments Ability to exert power and influence Higher than average financial rewards Areas of Expertise: What are You REALLY Good At? We’re talking about capitalizing on your Areas of Expertise. If you’re just getting out of college, your Areas of Expertise are probably vague ideas…shadows of what is to come. But if you’ve been in the work force for a few years, you should have at least 2-3 Areas of Expertise, with more to develop as you progress through your career. I connected the Areas of Expertise to your Motivated Skills, because I see your Areas of Expertise as sub-sets of your Motivated Skills. Let’s say, for example, one of your Motivated Skills is Writing, which is defined as “Possessing excellent writing skills. Able to create business or technical documents, correspondence, and other effective written communications.” So you get a job in the Public Relations office of a company, where one of your main duties is to write press releases. Because of this experience, one of your Areas of Expertise becomes “Writing Press Releases.” Let’s put all of this information together in a couple of case studies that will hopefully help you get the idea. Case #1 – Danielle Danielle is a 25-year-old college graduate who studied communications in college and has been working in the entertainment industry since graduating. She is looking to make a career change, because she finds her current field to be too competitive and not meaningful enough for her. Danielle’s top 5 Motivated Skills are: Writing Public Relations Organization Creative or Imaginative with Ideas Decision-Making Her personality type is ENFJ; here’s the description of that personality type: Imaginative HARMONIZERS; at their best when winning people’s cooperation with insight into their needs. They value: -Having a wide circle of relationships -Having a positive, enthusiastic view of life -Seeing subtleties in people and interactions -Understanding others’ needs and concerns -An active, energizing social life -Seeing possibilities in people -Follow-through on important projects -Working on several projects at once -Caring and imaginative problem solving -Maintaining relationships to make things work -Shaping organizations to better serve members -Caring, compassion, and tactfulness Her Core Values are: -Utilize creativity and imagination -Ability to help/serve others -Close relationships with co-workers -Working on multiple projects simultaneously -Flexibility in work schedule How would you coach Danielle? Here’s what we talked about: -She needs a career that is meaningful to her in that she is able to help others, while utilizing her considerable creativity. She prefers freedom in her work hours – as long as she gets the work done, it shouldn’t matter when she does it. She also wants to wear multiple hats, so a start-up would be a good fit for her (smaller = more jobs to be done). Danielle decided to pursue careers in non-profit marketing – finding a non-profit she is passionate about, which is fitness, and marketing that non-profit to the appropriate audiences. Case #2 – Brandon Brandon has just graduated from college with a degree in business but doesn’t know where he wants to go. He interned with Enterprise Rent-a-Car while in college and liked the variety of work but didn’t like the front-line management part of his job or how little structure there was to his daily duties. Brandon’s top 5 Motivated Skills are: Selling Negotiating Customer Service Work with Numerical Data Planning Detail Management Brandon’s personality preference is ESTJ; here’s the description of that personality type: Fact-minded practical ORGANIZERS; at their best when they can take charge and set things in logical order. They value: -Results; doing, acting -Planned, organized work and play -Common-sense practicality; usefulness -Consistency; standard procedures -Deciding quickly and logically -Having things settled and closed; orderliness -Rules, objective standards, fairness -Task-focused behavior -Directness, tough-mindedness -Systematic structure; efficiency -Scheduling and monitoring -Protecting what works Brandon’s Core Values are: -Open for Advancement -Ability to Do Job as Efficiently as Possible -Highly Structured Environment -Work that Mentally Challenges You -Performing Clearly Defined Tasks How would you coach Brandon? Here’s what we talked about: Brandon liked the sales aspect of his internship with Enterprise Rent-a-Car, and had also had part-time jobs where sales was a component of his job. He likes the idea of being highly compensated for superior performance in sales. What Brandon DOESN’T like about sales is the unpredictability of it…how flexible you have to be. Brandon LOVES structure. So where do we go from here? One of the top careers for ESTJs is Business Administrator, and the administrative aspects of his internship appealed to Brandon. He admitted that, once he was older and more experienced, he wouldn’t mind supervising employees…he just didn’t feel qualified to do that as an intern. Brandon decided to pursue jobs as a sales compensation analyst, where he could use his sales experience coupled with his love of structure to research ways to attract and retain top-notch sales people. From there, Brandon could see himself moving into other business administration roles. Case #3 – Sadie Sadie has been out of college for about eight years; she majored in psychology. When she began that degree, she planned to get a Ph.D. in psychology, but as she went through her coursework that became less interesting to her. After graduating, Sadie got a job in human resources as a generalist – some hiring, some benefits, all kinds of personnel issues. She liked the variety of the work but didn’t love the constraints around how she could help the employees. She stayed in this job for three years. The next job Sadie had was also in human resources, at a larger company where she specialized in recruiting employees. She liked feeling like she was really helping people but found the career fairs and other large recruiting events to be extremely draining. Most recently, Sadie has worked as a Recruiter for a recruiting company. This has been a step back in that she feels overwhelmed by the volume of people contacting her and the volume of contacts she has to make each day. She’s ready for a complete change. Sadie’s top 5 Motivated Skills are: Writing Counseling Negotiating Performance Improvement Creativity or Imagination with Ideas Sadie’s MBTI type is INFP; here’s the description of that personality type: Imaginative, independent HELPERS; at their best when their inner ideals are expressed through helping people. They value: -Harmony in the inner life of ideas -Harmonious work settings; working individually -Seeing big-picture possibilities -Creativity; curiosity; exploring -Helping people find their potential -Giving ample time to reflect on decisions -Adaptability and openness -Compassion and caring; attention to feelings -Work that lets them express their idealism -Gentle, respectful interactions -Showing appreciation and being appreciated -Close, loyal friends Sadie’s Core Values are -Help/Serve Others -Ability to Teach/Train -Ability to Give Ideas/Input/Suggestions -A Quiet Workspace -Unstructured, Open Environment How would you coach Sadie? Here’s what happened: Sadie talked about considering a Master’s in Counseling so she could become a Certified Counselor, but decided she was more interested in being a coach. Because I have considerable knowledge in this area, I was able to educate Sadie on the types of coaching out there, the industry as a whole, and how she could proceed. Sadie had some homework to do! When she came back, she was excited about becoming a life coach. We drilled down a bit further, and Sadie decided she wanted to coach recruiters to become better at what they do – she saw a lot o problems with this industry and was confident she could help improve it. Sadie found a coaching program she liked, signed up, and went through the certification process while keeping her job as a recruiter. We worked on her thoughts about her job so it was more enjoyable, and we also strategized about how to leverage her contacts for when she opened her coaching practice. I hope these three case studies have given you some ideas about all this self-information comes together in the career decision-making process. Of course, if you’d like to work with an expert in this process, reach out to me.   To visit my website: www.exclusivecareercoaching.com Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of value career management content is easily digestible bites. Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk. Here’s the link to schedule a 30-minute consult call with me:  www.timetrade.com/book/D6KLN. Hope to see you soon!

  This month we’re going deep on the topic of networking. If you haven’t listened to last week’s podcast on Why Networking is So Stinkin’ Important, I highly encourage you to do so. Today we’re going to talk about the way most people approach networking, and how my approach is different. The Tommy Gun Approach If you’ve listened to my podcast much, you’ve heard me use the expression “Tommy Gun Approach” to networking. This is the way most people do networking. Shoot everyone they can find with information of their job search and hope their bullets land in the right place. While there’s nothing inherently wrong with the Tommy Gun Approach, it isn’t strategic and it may not get you the results you are looking for. I call my approach the Bow and Arrow Approach. You are highly strategic in who you network with and what you ask for in networking meetings. Problems with the Tommy Gun Approach Let’s say you see someone you know in the grocery store. The Tommy Gun Approach would suggest that you need to tell that person you are looking for a job and if they think of anything to let you know. The problem with this approach is two-fold: -You haven’t given the other person anything concrete with which to help you, so your request will probably go in one ear and out the other, and -You aren’t providing the other person with any value (there is no quid pro quo here). What does the Tommy Gun Approach look like at a networking event? In a sentence: Vague requests lead to vague results. You tell everyone you meet at that event that you are looking for a job and if they think of anything to let you know. Then you give them your business card or a copy of your resume. They don’t even know you, so the chances of anything happening from that contact is slim. The Bow-and-Arrow Approach So how is the Bow and Arrow Approach different? Here are the main ways: 1. You begin with the end in mind. You know which employers you most want to work for and you figure out how to get to the decision-makers in those companies. You then set up one-on-one networking meetings specifically around these goals. 2. You are asking your networking contact for specific assistance. You’ve done your homework, so you know who you want them to introduce you to or what piece of information you need from them. 3. You are providing as much value to the other person as they are to you. I’ll talk about this in detail in another episode this month, but the idea again is quid pro quo. Equal value for equal value. Tit for tat. How does the Bow and Arrow Approach work in networking events? You don’t know who’s going to be there, so it is difficult to plan ahead. Also, you aren’t likely to have an extended amount of time to talk with any one individual. In these situations, you are in information-gathering mode. You are finding out who’s there, where they work, what their job titles are, and any other information about their professional lives. Then, you’re going back to LinkedIn. After adding them as a connection, you are looking at who they are connected to, where they’ve worked in the past, etc. THEN you can decide if this individual is appropriate for a one-on-one networking meeting. Of course, if you meet someone at that networking event who works for one of your target employers or has some other way of helping you, ask! I just don’t see much benefit in telling everybody your are job searching.   To visit my website:  www.exclusivecareercoaching.com Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of value career management content is easily digestible bites.  Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk. Here’s the link to schedule a 30-minute consult call with me:  www.timetrade.com/book/D6KLN. Hope to see you soon!         

  This month is all about networking. Episode titles include “How Most People Network…and My Approach,” “Places to Network and How to Maximize Them,” and “How Not to Be a Networking Barnacle.” Today I want to address the WHY of networking…why is networking so very important? Here are my top five reasons why networking is so stinkin’ important: 1. 75% of the jobs are in the hidden job market, meaning they are not advertised. If you aren’t networking, you have zero chance of accessing the largest portion of available jobs. 2.     Networking isn’t just to get a new job. Networking can get you key assignments within your current employer, increase your promotability, and get you tied into community organizations where you get to interact with a cross-section of people. 3.     Networking gives you the opportunity to (subtly) toot your own horn. During a networking meeting, it is common to tell the other person what you’ve been up to at work. This helps to build your personal brand and become known as the expert in _____. 4.     Networking builds your social skills. If you don’t love, or aren’t great at, talking about yourself or meeting strangers, networking is one of the best ways to get over your aversion and build your skills in this area. You’ll get clearer on your personal brand, asking questions to draw out the other person, and making small talk every time you engage in networking. 5.     Networking can provide results that extend beyond professional. People make friends, find romantic partners, discover passions and opportunities to express their passions, and generally make their lives fuller by networking. When you go into networking, whether one-on-one or group, I recommend having a goal while also being open to possibilities. Let’s talk about the types of networking, as each one requires slightly different skills and offers slightly different advantages. 1. One-on-one networking. This is typically done with someone you already know or have been introduced to. In a future episode, I will talk about the mechanics of networking, but here are the benefits of one-on-one networking: -You have a concentrated period of time to really focus on building a relationship with another person. -Because these meetings are typically scheduled, you have the opportunity to prepare for the meeting and determine exactly what you want to ask the other person to do for you. -It’s much easier to follow up with individuals you have networked one-on-one with – to provide them with what you said you would and remind them to provide you with what they said they would. 2. Networking events. These are events where networking is the primary function. People who come to these events may not all be looking for a job, but they are looking to sell their products/services, establish partnerships, and seek referrals. Here are the benefits of attending networking events: -You can speak to as many as a dozen people at one event, making it a very efficient way to network. -You get a large cross-section of people at these events, increasing the likelihood that someone you meet can help you. -You can simultaneously build your LinkedIn network by connecting with everyone you meet at these events on LinkedIn. 3. Events where networking is possible. While not specifically for the purpose of networking, these events provide you with the possibility of networking. Think professional development meetings and community service organizations. The benefits of attending these events are the same as attending networking events, with a possible added benefit: -If you are engaged in working alongside other professionals, they have the opportunity to see you “in action,” and be impressed by your work ethic and results.       To visit my website:  www.exclusivecareercoaching.com Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of value career management content is easily digestible bites.  Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk. Here’s the link to schedule a 30-minute consult call with me:  www.timetrade.com/book/D6KLN. Hope to see you soon!   

  This month, we’re covering the marketing documents you need for your job search – your resume, cover letter, and LinkedIn profile. Today, let’s talk about the cover letter. I get a lot of questions about whether a cover letter is necessary…relevant…in today’s job market. I’m borrowing heavily from the website makeit.com and author Debbie Carreau for this episode. Here are three reasons not to submit a cover letter: 1. You have no interest in customizing a cover letter for that position. If you aren’t willing to take the time to make that letter specific to that company and that position, you may be doing yourself harm by submitting a cover letter. I would add that if there here are errors in grammar, spelling, and punctuation in your cover letter, you are doing more harm than good. Make sure the cover letter is as error-free as your resume. 2. You are not providing the reader with any new information. If all you’re doing is rehashing the exact verbiage of your resume, you aren’t helping yourself. 3. If all you’re doing is telling them how you would improve the company, save that for the interview. You risk coming across as a know-it-all by providing this information in the cover letter. When to include a cover letter (NOTE: the default is to include a cover letter; these three situations below are the times you really MUST include a cover letter.) 1. When you have a personal connection or referral. Mention the name of the person who has referred you to the company and position. 2. You have a connection to that company. If you’ve had an internship there or worked with that company in some other capacity, be sure to mention in the cover letter. 3. If this is your dream job. While I don’t necessarily want you to tell the employer they are your #1 choice, I do want you to show your enthusiasm about the opportunity to work there. Virtually all ATS (Applicant Tracking Systems) will allow you to attach your cover letter as a PDF when applying. Here’s how I approach writing the cover letter: I have already identified my client’s brand attributes (what makes them different; what they bring to the table that differentiates them from their competition) in writing their resume. I then take three of those brand attributes and create a paragraph for each in their cover letter. Here’s an example: if my client is in marketing and one of their brand attributes is data analytics, I’m going to provide two-three examples of when they utilized this skill in their various jobs, internships, or class projects. I’m not repeating what is in their resume verbatim; rather, I am reconstituting the facts from their resume in their cover letter.   To visit my website:  www.exclusivecareercoaching.com Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of value career management content is easily digestible bites.  Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk. Here’s the link to schedule a 30-minute consult call with me:  www.timetrade.com/book/D6KLN. Hope to see you soon!   

The theme for this quarter (April, May, and June) is College Graduation, 2019 Edition. I’m talking about your marketing documents in April; in May we’ll be covering the job search, and in June we’ll do a deep dive into the job interview. If you’re not a recent college graduate, don’t worry – everything I tell the new kids will apply to you as well. Last week, I gave you my top eight tips for improving your LinkedIn profile. If you haven’t listened to that episode, I strongly encourage you to do so, as these two episodes fit nicely together. One of the questions I get asked most often by 20-somethings is “What’s up with LinkedIn?” Essentially, they are saying they know LinkedIn is important…they just don’t understand exactly what it is. Or what they are supposed to do with it. Last week, I gave you my #1 reason to be on LinkedIn: virtually every employer is going to check out your LinkedIn profile at some point in the hiring process. It’s not enough to just have a LinkedIn profile, you need a robust one, with lots of connections. Here’s another compelling reason to play full-out on LinkedIn: you never know. Who you will meet. Who will reach out to you, and what they may want or need. What you will be asked to participate in, lead, or do. I have gotten new clients from LinkedIn, partnerships, collaborations…so many opportunities that would never have come to me without LinkedIn. I talk about your profile being your “home” in the LinkedIn community. The tips I gave you last week were to improve the “curb appeal” of your home. Today, I want to talk about strategies for making the most of LinkedIn. I’m going to focus on those of you who are job searching, but good networking is good networking…regardless of your end-goal. In giving you these tips, I am not going to talk about the content of your LinkedIn profile, as that was last week’s episode. The only repeat from last week is my first recommendation, which is so important it bears repeating. Here, then, are my top five strategies for maximizing your use of LinkedIn: 1. Connect, connect, connect. There’s a magic minimum number of connections on LinkedIn, and that number is 500. Once you reach the magic number, your profile shows that you have 500+ connections. Forever. This tells others that you are active on LinkedIn. That you’re reasonably serious about LinkedIn. In the case of LinkedIn, the more the merrier, and here’s why: you increase the size of your footprint. Think about Google. When you search for something, you probably don’t look at more than the first page or two of results. When someone looks for someone with your qualifications on LinkedIn, they will likely do the same thing. The way you move up – that is to say, the way you become more visible on LinkedIn – is to have more connections. It’s math. Let’s say you have 500 connections, and each of those connections has 500 connections. Your existing connections are called 1st-level connections; their connections are called 2nd-level connections. I call this your “footprint.” Who you’re connected to, and who they are connected to. In the example above, your footprint might be around 250,000 people (500 X 500). Stated another way, you can be found relatively easy by a quarter of a million people. Sounds awesome, right? Now let’s look at my footprint on LinkedIn. I have a little over 4,600 connections right now. Using the same math as above, my footprint on LinkedIn would be 2,300,000. Stated another way, I am easily found by more than two million people. Big feet. Here’s how this helps me: when people are looking for someone who does what I do, I am very likely to show up near the top of their results. If you have fewer than 500 connections, I recommend going for quantity over quality. Get that number up. Then you can reach out to people you don’t know and people who are at a higher professional level than you. 2. Set up your job agents. If you are job searching, LinkedIn is one of the best job boards out there, in terms of the quality of the positions posted. You’ll want to set up some job agents so that the positions you are qualified for are coming to you daily. To do this, click on the Jobs tab at the top of your profile. Then search using whatever criteria are appropriate for you. LinkedIn will ask you if you want to save that search, and if you want to receive notifications of positions that meet those criteria. I recommend daily notifications. You can set up multiple job agents; each one will send you a daily digest. There’s also a link you can click that tells recruiters that you are open to new positions. Doesn’t hurt to do this, although recruiters don’t actually care whether you’re job searching or not. If you meet their qualifications, they will reach out to you. 3. Engage with those you’ve connected with. I wrote a blog a few years ago about “LinkedIn shouldn’t be the place your connections go to die.” Yet many people collect connections and never do anything with them. A strategy for moving the relationship along is in order. Is this connection someone you want to meet in person for networking? Is this someone you want to ask to introduce you to someone else? Is this someone who is in a position to actually hire you? Create a few templates you can use to communicate with people after they’ve accepted your invitation to connect. Make your communications personal and engaging. And not too long. Along these lines, when you invite someone to connect with you, ALWAYS customize the invitation. You’ll get much higher responses that way. 4. Join some groups. Your visibility increases exponentially if you join a few groups that make sense for your profession and industry. Your goal should be quality rather than quantity. Choose groups that are active, that interest you, and that you can contribute to. Then contribute. Ask questions, answer other people’s questions, comment on posts. You are positioning yourself as a professional in your field, you are increasing your brand recognition, and you are making connections with new people. All good. 5. Use the power of LinkedIn to show you how to get to decision-makers. Want to connect with the CEO of a startup you really want to work for? Use LinkedIn. Want to know who the Director of Marketing is for one of your target companies? Use LinkedIn. Want to get the inside scoop on your ideal employers? Use LinkedIn. LinkedIn should be your best friend in the hiring process, because it is so easy to find who works where, who knows whom, and what companies are in hiring mode. Here’s a bonus tip for LinkedIn: when you write a recommendation for someone you are connected with, you get a piece of prime real estate on their profiles. So not only are you helping them, you are helping yourself. Win-win.   To visit my website:  www.exclusivecareercoaching.com Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of value career management content is easily digestible bites.  Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk. Here’s the link to schedule a 30-minute consult call with me:  www.timetrade.com/book/D6KLN. Hope to see you soon!   

Today I’m going to talk about what I like to call “curb appeal,” how to improve the appearance of your home on LinkedIn, which is your LI profile. Next week, I’m going to talk about strategies for making the most of LI. In other words, once you have an attractive home on LI, how you can invite people into your home and how you can go visit other people’s homes. Here are my top eight improvements for your LinkedIn profile:   1. Your Photo. This should be a professional headshot of you. There shouldn’t be anyone else in the photo and the picture should be close enough and clear enough that someone could find you in a crowd based on your LI photo. I recommend updating your photo about every three years; more often if you’ve undergone significant change such as a drastically different hairstyle or large weight loss. You don’t have to incur the expense of a professional photographer, although it’s a good idea. When I worked in higher education, the campus photographer was glad to do a headshot for me – I needed them anyway for other work-related purposes. Your photo should be appropriate to your industry and profession. You should look like someone a stranger would be willing to reach out to. 2. Your Background. Your LI profile came with a stock background photo that looks like a constellation. I recommend changing this to be in line with your professional brand. In other words, if you’re an avid surfer, your background photo should not be of the waves in Hawaii unless you’re also a surfboard sales person. As an alternative, you can use an illustration in the background that you like. It doesn’t represent your brand or profession, but doesn’t detract from it, either. When I am doing this for my clients, I select four photos from pixabay.com and try each on my client’s profile. This way, I can see which one works the best with the client’s photo, brand, profession, etc. 3. Your Headline. Your headline is the statement directly underneath your name on your profile. You have 120 characters for your headline, and most people completely waste this valuable real estate. You can include your current job title and employer, but keep in mind that your employer’s name shows up in that top box anyway. And if you’re looking for a new job, what good does it do to cement your current employer with recruiters? Including your job title is important for SEO purposes, especially if the work you want to do next is in line with your current job title. Otherwise, you’ll want to figure out how to get your new desired job title in there without being overt. Here’s an example: Let’s say you currently have the job title of Customer Service Representative, but what you want to move into is sales. Here are a couple of ways you could express this in your headline: Customer Service Representative | Proven ability to upsell, resolve complaints, and provide exceptional post-sale care Customer Service | Inside sales | Post-sale care | Resolving customer complaints with exceptional critical thinking Here’s another example: You are currently an Assistant Manager of a hotel restaurant, but you want to move into the reservations side of the hospitality business. Here’s a possible headline: Assistant Manager, Hospitality Industry | Providing exceptional customer service in the fast-paced hotel business Notice that you didn’t mention the restaurant, because that’s not what you want to do moving forward. What if you want to move up within your current career field? Don’t just tell them your job title, tell the reader how you add value: Human Resources Coordinator | Experience with recruiting, hiring, onboarding, payroll, benefits, and training Here’s another option: Human Resources Coordinator | Generalist background | Strong leadership qualities | Certified Trainer   4. Your Summary. You have approximately 1,980 characters for your summary, and most of you are using only a fraction of that, if any at all. This is your chance to tell your story, and it SHOULD NOT BE a cut-and-paste of your resume. Your summary should be written in first person, using language you would use if you were telling a colleague about your career. Tell them a bit about your background, what you’re currently up to, some of your achievements, and a bit about you personally. I include this personal information at the end, before the Skills list I will talk about next. It is only one-two sentences but can be impactful in rounding you out as a person and giving the reader something else to connect with you on. I’ve included information about travel, hobbies, philosophy, influencers…as long as the information is neutral or positive. I also encourage you include a Skills list at the end of your summary, as this is great for SEO. Note that these terms should match your Skills and Endorsements section verbatim, otherwise recruiters won’t be able to search for the terms you use. 5. Your Experience. Many of you are listing only your employer, job title, and dates of employment in this section, which greatly reduces your SEO effectiveness. Again, this should not be a cut-and-paste of your resume, but rather the story of your work. Talk about some challenges you overcame, some metrics around your achievements. This information is factually the same as your resume but written in first person using a more conversational writing style. Finally, I see so many LI profiles where this section is all about the employer rather than the person. Unless you’re self-employed where your business and you are one and the same, like me, this doesn’t make any sense. 6. Your Connections. You need a minimum of 500, but don’t stop there. The more the merrier, with a few caveats. If you have fewer than 500 connections, I recommend going for quantity over quality. Ask people you either already know or are at your level to connect with you to quickly get that number up to the magic 500+. At that point, you will have the “creds” you need to reach for higher-hanging fruit. The other person will see you as a serious player on LI and will be much more likely to connect with you even though they don’t know you. 7. Your Skills and Endorsements. This section is primarily useful for SEO purposes. I recommend you review this section annually to make sure it is still an accurate reflection of the skills you possess and want to present to potential employers. 8. Your Recommendations By far, this is most underutilized and potentially most helpful aspect of your profile. This is when people who have worked with you in some capacity take the time to write great things about the experience of working with you. LinkedIn recommends a minimum of three recommendations; I like you to have at least 10. Here’s how to approach this: a. What are my brand attributes? The aspects of me I most want to present to the world? b. Who among my connections are best able to speak about each of these brand attributes? (I recommend asking two people for each recommendation you want to get) I’ve thrown a lot of “home improvements” at you today for LI, so if you’re feeling overwhelmed, let’s break it down. -Assess your current profile in light of the eight tips above and determine the area(s) in which your profile could benefit from some “sprucing up.” -Set aside a block of time (I recommend at least two hours) to tackle the list you came up with in step #1. -Ask a trusted friend to review your changes and make suggestions for further improvements.   To visit my website:  www.exclusivecareercoaching.com Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of value career management content is easily digestible bites.  Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk. Here’s the link to schedule a 30-minute consult call with me:  www.timetrade.com/book/D6KLN. Hope to see you soon!   

All podcasts in April, May, and June will be focused around the theme “College Graduation, 2019 Edition.” At this time each year, I concentrate on topics to help that year’s crop of graduating college seniors. Of course, everything I talk about will apply to those of you who have been out in the workforce for a few years, as well. In April, I will be covering resumes, cover letters, and LinkedIn profiles. These are your primary marketing documents in a job search. Point #1 – Your Resume is a Marketing Document Here’s what most of you have for a resume, unless you’ve worked with me already: a descriptive document. I call it a “data sheet.” Your document tells the reader where and when you worked, what your job duties were, and what your job title was. Lather, rinse, and repeat. From a marketing standpoint, that’s like describing a product’s features, but not its benefits. These shoes have shoelaces. This sofa is covered in dark brown fabric. This refrigerator has an ice maker. An employer needs to know what your job duties were in each position, to be sure, but what they also need to know is how well you performed the job. From a marketing standpoint, these are your benefits. Here’s what this might look like: These shoes have interchangeable shoelaces that can match any outfit you have in your wardrobe – you’ll be the most stylish woman at the coffee shop! The color of this sofa means stains and dirt will practically disappear! This refrigerator’s ice maker is in the door, which will save you approximately $125 a year on electricity costs! How does this translate to your resume? Here are a few bullets from resumes I’ve written for my clients: - Developed and implemented a mentoring program that reduced General Manager turnover 4% and saved $240k in recruiting and onboarding costs. -Completed approximately 60 engagements thus far, encompassing weddings, graduations, birthdays, house parties, and bars/clubs. (This client started his own DJ business) -Maintained 100% accuracy with approximately 70 closing packages totaling $24.5M. (This client had his own business assembling mortgage loan packages) - Conducted a Facebook e-mail campaign that resulted in 3,000+ likes within three days and increased engagement to 11%. -Realized 20% volume growth over previous year with KTM bike retail marketing program at key convenience retailer Super America.   Notice how many of these accomplishments have numbers. Whether your achievements lend themselves to dollars, percentages, number of participants, or volume, whenever you can quantify your achievements you take that statement to another level. Point #2 – Your Resume Reflects Your Brand I’ve said this one before, but it bears repeating: To truly differentiate yourself in your resume, you must tell the reader what you bring to the table that no other candidate will have. What you can do for them that no other candidate will be able to do. What makes you uniquely qualified for the position you are applying for. During the resume-writing process with my clients, I ask them why an employer should hire them over all the other candidates. I often get generic answers like “I’m a hard worker,” “I’m a team player,” or “I have a degree in _____.” Let’s go back to thinking of yourself as a product. A product that can communicate with you. You walk up to those athletic shoes, introduce yourself, and ask them why you should buy them. The shoes respond with “Because I have a sole, shoelaces, and a vamp.” You’re not going to choose to buy those particular shoes because of their sole, shoelaces, and vamp. You’re going to choose to buy a particular pair of shoes because they are the right type of shoe for the athletic activity you plan to do, because they feel good on your feet, because they have proper arch support, because they are warm enough or cool enough for your weather, and because they look good on your feet. These are the things that differentiate one pair of athletic shoes from another. They all have soles, shoelaces (unless they are velcro), and a vamp. Back to you as a product you are offering to employers. Why should they buy you over the sea of applicants clamoring for this position? Here are a couple of excerpts from resumes I’ve written for my clients: -Entrusted with more than 500 customers including Target—one of the company’s largest customers globally—serving as the face company X with many key relationships. -Offering a diverse background spanning entrepreneurship, office management, heavy equipment operations, and entertainment. -Strong background in global supply chain strategies, business analytics, and innovative go-to-market approaches that generate industry-leading results. - Attained 3.96 GPA at Southern New Hampshire University while working full-time and part-time jobs—demonstrating high motivation, determination, and the ability to make sacrifices. Active in leading teams for Financial Peace University—demonstrating leadership, financial acumen, and commitment to community service. -Strong business development skills—combining data mining and analysis with exceptional interpersonal skills and proven networking ability -Extensive international travel experience (currently 16 countries), with the proven ability to navigate travel efficiently and cost-effectively Point #3 – Your Resume MUST Be Applicant Tracking System (ATS) Compatible Back in the day, you sent your resume in via email to a company for a position. An overworked and underpaid human resources person received them and either sent all resumes to the hiring manager or did a cursory evaluation of candidates and only sent over those that met the basic qualifications. Not happening like that anymore. Virtually every company except for mom-and-pop shops or those with old-timers who can’t be bothered to learn technology have ATS systems now. The reason? There are a few: -It minimizes the human capital needed to process applicants, which saves the company money -It reduces the potential for human error, which in the case of hiring can lead to lawsuits -It provides an unbiased and unprejudiced way to evaluate candidates based on the job criteria, so theoretically the employer is making better hires -It automatically keeps track of EEO and other state and federal reporting requirements for hiring equity There are, however, significant downsides to the ATS. If you’ve applied for a job lately, you have a good idea what those downsides are. Among them: -The difficulty of putting your resume in “correctly” so the ATS can read and score it -The inability to interact with a human in the process - it’s hard to ask questions or feel any personal connection -The unlikeliness that you will hear from the company you apply to unless they want to interview you-you don’t even know if it was received in many cases -The feeling that you have to play to the ATS rather than just present yourself as a qualified candidate ATS, just like all technology, is rapidly evolving. Here are some pointers based on the 2019 status of most ATS systems: -Any formatting that isn’t on your computer keyboard will not translate to the ATS. This includes bullets, text boxes, charts and graphs, italics, lines, and symbols. -Keywords are the name of the game. Review each job posting for the keywords (typically nouns) contained in the description. If you possess that skill or qualification, make sure it shows up in your resume. -DO NOT cut and paste the job description into your resume. This may get you through the ATS, but the human will definitely toss you out. -Use common headings for the sections of your resume. The ATS cannot interpret that your bachelor’s degree can be found in a section with a heading such as “Academic Preparation.” Stick with “Education,” “Professional Experience,” etc. -Virtually all ATS will allow you to upload a fully formatted version of your resume for the humans to see. Do this as a PDF to retain the integrity of the document. -Length is not an issue with ATS resumes, so you can go into more detail if necessary. Your formatted version, however, should be no longer than two pages.     To visit my website: www.exclusivecareercoaching.com Follow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of value career management content is easily digestible bites.  Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk. Here’s the link to schedule a 30-minute consult call with me: www.timetrade.com/book/D6KLN. Hope to see you soon!