2 Clues to Motivation

Doing my hill sprints this morning - with a bit of a drizzle and in a gentle cool breeze (life!!!) after a major heat wave - I was thinking of why we do stuff.

Why stay in a lousy job instead of moving? Why don’t we do the very things that can give us our desired result (like a new job), why don’t we like trying new methods? I get this a lot with job hunters - just doing the same old things, over and over and over. They’re not motivated to try new things or to persist.

Why don’t we exercise when so clearly it’s good for us? What motivates us for more than a day or two to make a change? What keeps us going through the hard yards … to the finish … to our ideal?

Just plain “maturity” can sometimes get us going: knowing that life involves some tough assignments, so knuckle down and get them done; and “progress” is another: once we start seeing positive results we’re motivated to keep going. But it’s complicated with fear playing a big part too.

It’s pretty scary thinking that perhaps we’ll look back on our life and see - too late - that our ‘dream life’ or just a ‘better life’ was just a few steps away all the time. We missed it because we just weren’t motivated enough to take and keep taking steps in the right direction.

Ok, I’m getting way too philosophical! But it’s important. If you’d like to read more on the topic you should check this out. Some real lightbulb moments ahead on the topic of motivation.

A forgotten key to interview success

Had an interesting meeting with a client yesterday. She has a top government post (non-political) and carries massive responsibility working with Gov. ministers.

She mentioned something interesting:

When she recruits people she looks for “likeable” people.

Why is this exciting? And it is. Because it means that the playing fields are much more ‘level’ than we think.

It means that your “likeability” - smiling, looking people in the eyes, being relaxed but well organised, professional but still with a sparkle in your eye - can win the job for you in the face or better qualified competition.

Make It Even More Powerful

And this factor is made even more powerful when you don’t only rely on recruiters for job opportunities (they put a greater emphasis on exactly the right qualifications and experience.)

It means that if you’re meeting people, attending seminars, participating in forums, keeping contact with colleagues in your industry and on LinkedIn.com and you’re being “nice”, “likeable”, “agreeable”, “amiable”, “kind”, “polite” there’s a MUCH better chance of early success in the job market.

Another Interesting Fact

Oh, and by the way this high performing client - has no degree, no diploma - and yet has served 3 Presidents. The playing field indeed is flatter than we think.

By the way … see a copy of a CV I wrote that got the client (who had no qualifications and patchy experience) 3 job interviews immediately, a choice of offers, and the highest seniority position (Group Procurement Manager) he’s ever had. Go to www.wowcv.net/johnjonas.pdf

PS Being likeable isn’t that easy when all you can think about is how tough things are and you’re feeling unhealthy and stressed. Exercise is often a key to turning this around. I recommend this: click here

Why You Should and How to Track (and Shout-Out) Your Value

Yesterday I said you should just do one thing right. The next thing. This is how to cope with a bad situation at work. Just do the next thing right. Do it well. And feel satisfied.

How to Build on This

But now … build on that. How? Track all the good things you do. Record them. Write them down. Keep a journal of things you did well and felt satisfied by.

Whether you’re CEO or a cleaner, this applies. Track how you ‘did good’. This will serve to bolster your own confidence and self-belief (in a job crisis this frequently takes a big knock). And why not make your record public?? Create a showcase for your good work. To demonstrate you’re a valuable resource.

How to do This?

How? Start a blog. It’s free at wordpress.com. Or at iblog.co.za.

If you’re a PA … PA-Joanne.wordpress.com - where you highlight how you make a difference every day for your employer. Come new job time, all you have to do to differentiate yourself from your competition is direct an employer to your blog.

If you’re in Sales you can share your techniques for winning trust, making presentations and some successes - what you did right to secure the deal.

If you’re in customer service - you can keep a record of all your tough customers, how you pacified them and how you turned a negative situation positive. Instead of moaning about it you jot down your thoughts for your blog. Your blog will “shout-out” your expertise.

The benefits? You’ll come across as serious about your career. You’ll come across as professional (yeah, the blog is NOT for holiday pics and trivialities). You’ll come across as a total expert. You can list links to journals/websites and other blogs that position you brilliantly: link to CNN, New York Post or job specific sites like www.theUtterlyProfessionalPA.com.

This is a good idea. Do it.

Why I Ran Away from Home - You May Relate

[Job Search Success | 2010]

Did you drag yourself to work today? You feel kinda trapped? You wish you could just escape? It’s a lousy feeling.

I Ran Away Once

I ran away from home once. It was 7:15am. Summer. And I didn’t want to go to school. I was 5 years old. School was a drag. I hated the routine. I had a feeling of dread in my gut. It’s still vivid in my mind.

And in my career I’ve felt the same way a number of times. But now I’m big, running away isn’t really an option. There are responsibilities.

1 Strategy to Cope

So how does one cope? Well, for one thing, one can make a planned escape. But this is for another post.

Short term - today - the strategy with the best results - you WILL be surprised - is the one where you just do the next thing you have to do, and you do it right.

Forget the pressure. Just do one thing right. Get the satisfaction of doing something right.

Switch off the phone. Shut down your e-mail. Just for an hour. And do something right. Plan something. Complete something. Cross something off your list.

You may well need to change jobs. But for now … your short term goal should be to develop positive momentum.

Changing job or career is tough. Rather do it off a base of strength than off a base  of being disgruntled, weak and slow. And here’s the kicker: you may find that a new mental approach helps you be happier, even
now.

Personal Reason for the Topic

The reason for this topic - my daughter Zoe (7) although top of her class, is waking up every day saying: “I don’t want to go to school.” And I’m reliving my experience.

Interesting Links

1) See a copy of a CV I wrote that got the client (who had no qualifications and patchy experience) 3 job interviews immediately, a choice of offers, and the highest seniority position (Group Procurement Manager) he’s ever had. Go to www.wowcv.net/johnjonas.pdf

Just remember - EVERY CV is different. This one was right for him. Something else may work better for you. That’s why in my CV writing I take a personal approach.

2) There’s nothing quite like feeling fit and strong to pep up one’s performanace at work or chances of coming across ’switched on’ and bright in an interview. I recommend this, it gets results and doesn’t take more than 15 mins. Click here. [Funny link, I know, but perfectly safe.]

Over the last 4 months I’ve completed my new book - being edited as we speak. It’ll be like nothing else you’ve ever read in terms of practical, step-by-step job search tactics. Will let you know more soon.

One of my Favourite Things - and yes, it has a job hunting angle.

So yesterday I came across this quote:

“He who rejects change is the architect of decay.” - Harold Wilson

I, for one, reject change. It’s nice when things are comfy. Predictable. No stress that comes from not knowing - fur sure - “what the heck’s gonna happen now?!”

But as you also know, life has this way of jabbing one in the eye if there’s no forward movement.

So if you’re feeling a bit jaded or stale - perhaps in your job, or your job hunt - then here’s what you need to do. And as it happens it’s one of my favorite things to do.

Yes, so the idea is to get a brand new hard-cover exercise book (R8.99 at PnP) (can you hear it “crack” as you open it?) Then you carry it with you wherever you go. And you collect your thoughts.

• If you’re job hunting, you collect ideas about what difference you make in your present/past company (with a view to transferring your findings to your CV.)
• If you’re unhappy in your job you collect ideas on what you would really like to be doing, and some ideas of how you can get closer to doing that. Maybe take a course. Read a book.
• If you’ve just come out of a job interview - you can jot down what you felt went well, and some ideas on what questions you battled with, and how you can improve.
• While you’re traveling around, or surfing the ‘net, you can jot down the names of companies that look exciting to work for, and your ideas on how your skills could be valuable to them.

Here’s what I find with this exercise:

I always get excited by what I think of. I go to a coffee shop. I sit down. Sit back. Think of a topic. And within 20 minutes I always have a sense of possibility and a few practical ideas of how to move an idea forward. I love it.

And ideas occur to me all the time when I have my book close. It’s like a direct (wireless!) connection to my brain. And it pokes* my creative brain to come up with fresh ideas.

[* poke vb an action of tapping and/or softly jabbing another person using a finger, stick, or similar object to gain their attention, relieve boredom or just to be annoying.]

So although change is tough, and if we don’t do it we’re the “architects” of our own “decay”, it can be exciting. And this little exercise can help - inspiring us to do new things and come up with new ideas.

Pictures of my current black book below here (I have a pile of old ones on the shelf).

One of the many idea collectors.

Mind map mayhem!

Zoe's been busy here too!

A Telesales Story (I’m Not Proud of) With a Critical Job Search Lesson

Do you get telesales calls? I got one the other day, and they chose the wrong day.

Here’s what happened. I’m not proud.

[phone rings]

Me: Hello

Telesales Guy: I’m looking for Mr G le Roux

[Ok, like 3 seconds into the call and he's already in trouble.]

Me: Yes (but in a tone that’s already showing impatience)

Telesales Guy: Good day Mr le Roux, how are you?

[That's me, over the edge. Why, why, why do the sales people at CellC, Mastercard, etc who do this professionally, think that asking anyone how they are is going to go down well? Or is it just grumpy me?? 'Cause when he's calling me "Mister" (no-one does that usually) and when it's followed up by "how are you?" it's like a huge button gets switched off in me. I get irritable. Impatient. Impolite. Un-christian (I will try to improve.)]

Me: Look let’s just get to the point here, what do you want from me? Why do you ask how are you? Can’t you just get to the point? What are you selling?

Telesales Guy: Um, just a few minutes to introduce to you CellC’s offer - that you’ve been specially selected for - which features a free phone, 100 sms’s …

Me (interrupting): No thanks. I already have several contracts. Thanks anyway. (A bit of the christian in me is starting to feel bad at being rude, “he’s just doing his job” etc.)

Lesson 1

One has to do with the scripts Telesales people use. Do they really work? To me they just invite rejection. And I feel for the people who have to use them. I think it probably invites burn-out and high staff turnover.

Lesson 2

But the second is more important (to job hunters). It’s about how you present yourself in your CV and in interviews. Here’s the thing. What irritated me about the telesales call? It wasn’t the call. I can take a call. I can say no or yes. No problem so far.

Here’s what it was: they guy didn’t get to the point. He wanted to have an irrelevant, meaningless conversation first. My wife complains I don’t talk to her enough. And now I must talk to this guy?

I’m actually a willing consumer. A buyer. But I’m only interested in stuff that’s relevant to my life. Just like employers are only interested in things that are going to help them in some way.

And that’s the key. Relevance. So, in your job hunt are you:

Getting to the point - can you quickly and clearly convey what you want to say?

and …

Are you making a relevant offer - are you making the employer an offer - “I’ll give you this certain benefit/advantage/solution if you give me Rx per month.”

Here’s how the Telesales guy could have done better, I think, at least with me.

1. Assumed it was Mr le Roux instead of having to first confirm (wasted time and flagged the call as a telesales call in my mind).
2. Not asked “how are you?”
3. He should immediately have made his offer:

“Mr le Roux, I want to give you or someone in your family a free cell phone, 100 sms free, 100 free talk minutes on the cheapest contract possible. Should I keep talking?”

Much better. Dont’cha think?

It’s worth brainstorming a little around this point as it relates to your job hunt.

Are you getting to the point in your CV - or do you start out with all sorts of irrelevant details? Do you anywhere at all actually come out and say what you’re offering - in interviews, and in your CV and covering letter?

Need some help with this? Check this 5 point test/guideline out on this page: http://www.wowcv.net/cv-success-tests/cv-test-5-steps/ - it’s focussed on a CV but it applies to your entire ‘personal marketing’ or job hunting campaign too.

Hope this helps a little.

Leave your comments - see the “Leaver your comments” link at the top of this post just under the title.

Including Testimonial Extracts in Your CV - Why, How?

Your CV exists to influence. You may not like the concept of ’selling’ yourself.

But actually if you do a good job of selling yourself, you’re helping everybody. You’re giving them what they need. Then the decision is theirs to buy or not. To hire or not. To call in you in for an interview or not.

Bury all your talent and expertise in 13 pages of detail - and all you’re doing is making things hard for the reader. And for yourself - you’re not doing yourself justice.

So here’s another tactic to ramp up the power of influence in your CV by maybe 10x. It’s a well known and well used tactic by the best advertisers. It’s the power of a testimonial. It’s someone who worked with you, or a Manager, or a Client, saying:

“Hey, Bob here was great, he really came through for us” or,

“John was outstanding in bringing in new business - in his first year with us he was 2nd on the list of Achievers of the Year” or,

“Angie really was a reliable, dedicated PA. With her in charge of the office I had nothing to worry about”, or

“Michael kept our accounts in outstanding shape. He frequently was commended by our Auditors for his attention to details and timeous submissions.”

Why would one want to hide that stuff away? It has strong power to ‘influence’ - to twist the arm of the employer, or to make you stand out in a sea of other applicants.

But how to include it? There are any number of ways.

• You can inset a little text box in the CV with little quotes like the above.
• You can add them in at the end of the CV.
• You can include them as an ‘end off’ to each position listed on the CV.

When I write CVs - which I do a lot (see details of my service here) - I try to include these sort of extracts all the time. But I choose them carefully - with a strategic eye. They have to help you create the right impression.

WARNING! Sometimes a poorly chosen quote, although positive, may not be heavy-weight enough to position you correctly. Like using a quote that says you’re “reliable and steady” may not do the job for you when pitching for a high energy sales job.

If you’d like help with your CV, call me, mail me or go here for more info.

Is This a Good Addition to a CV? I Think So.

Y’know how when you visit a blog, for example, often in one of the sidebars (to the left or right of the main section) there’s a block. And in that block are a bunch of words. Sometimes they’re of varying sizes. It’s called a ‘word cloud’.

What’s the idea with it? It contains not just any words. But the keywords of the site. It’s a quick overview of what the website or blog is about. And each word is also a link to content related to that word.

So for example if the blog is about rugby, the word cloud may contain words such as:

super 14 - rugby world cup 2011 - pieter van der westhuizen - percy montgomery’s hairstylist - french rugby - rugby union rules - rugby league - aussie rules - rugby fixtures 2010 - brumbies - western province - the bulls - the sharks

So the ‘world cloud’ serves 2 purposes:

1. It gives a quick overview of what the site contains; and
2. It gives quick links to the information you’re looking for.

How can it be applied in a CV?

A CV is about creating the right impression. It seldom gets read word for word - unless serious interest is first established. Things a reader wants to know right up front are:

• Is this person what I need?
• Are they qualified and do they have the experience I need?
• How they done a great job?
• Who have they done the job for?

So a word cloud in a CV can help - how? for point #2 above. If you choose your keywords carefully - aligning them with the job ads you’re applying for and the keywords used in them - you have the opportunity to give a quick overview of the skills, knowledge and expertise you have.

These are very keywords the employer is using in their ad. So it creates an immediate ‘connection’ ’synergy’ ‘familiarity’ with the mind of the reader / employer / recruiter. It says:

“Hey, I’ve got the right stuff here, read on, read on”.

If you’re in marketing and sales it may read something like this:

Marketing and Sales Strategy - Marketing Tactics - Branding - Advertising and Promotion - Sales Management - Managing Teams, Targets and Performance - Building Strategic Relationships - Customer Service

You can probably do a better job of yours, but there you are.

This isn’t ‘heavy weight’ information in the CV - recruiters prefer to see where the expertise has been applied, as part of a job (there are of course smart ways of doing that, in my CV writing for clients I’ve developed some cool ways). But it can work to just give the strong suggestion that you have the ‘goods’ and encourage the reader to continue.

I think it’s a good idea.

“Do you feel like just another insect on the windscreen of job hunting life?”

Yeah, one can feel pretty lousy in a job hunt. Maybe you’re getting no response week after week. And hey, let’s be honest, it could be nothing to do with you. Maybe you’re great. It’s just that the job market is deflated.

But here’s a question:

Do you also consider it possible that you could be doing a better job of marketing your skills? Do you think you could be presenting yourself better? In your CV, in covering letters and in interviews?

Can I give you some personal insights here? I’m a CV writer - it’s what I do pretty much all day. And I see some really fantastic people make a real hash of their CV etc. They make basic errors.

I don’t want you to do the same. So here’s a great free resource from me: “High Impact Job Search Quick Fixes” - it’s 23 pages of my best ideas for ‘quick fixing’ your CV, cover letter or job interview. It also includes a step-by-step guide to writing a 2 page CV - very useful when adverts say: “send your 2 page CV …”

All you have to do is send an e-mail to quickfixes@getresponse.com

Then check your e-mail inbox.

Hope this helps! Mail me directly if you need help with this (see About page).

Self Promotion May Scare or Repel You. 3 Ideas and an Example to Help You.

Is self promotion, y’know, something that scares you or repels you - is it something you avoid?

“I increased sales by 67% in one year” “I was voted Mr Most Valuable, 2008″

When you’re applying for a job, writing your CV or cover letter - do you find it difficult to, um, ‘blow your own horn’? Does it make you feel uncomfortable? Would you rather fly under the radar, under promise and over deliver? Does that make you feel more honorable?

This is a problem area for most of us. Personality types differ. Maybe you find it easy. Maybe you don’t. But it’s got to be done (see why later). So … perhaps there’s a way of looking at it and a way of doing it that’s easier and acceptable for all? Lets examine.

A New Way of Looking at It?

Do you know that you’re actually doing everyone a disservice by not coming out and telling people what you achieved? Let’s take a case in point. One client this week, for example:

In 2009 he’s reduced overheads by 25%, he’s established 6 new business units in the last 3 years, he’s referred to by some as a “cost cutting master”

None of this is on his CV; all he had is, like, “I was Chief Operating Officer” with a bunch of boring “duties”.

A new employer wants more, needs more, to make a smart hiring decision - or even just to call the guy in for an interview. Sure he needs to know WHAT the guy does. But as important is this:

He needs to know if the guy is any good at what he does!

And it’s not a case of being obnoxious: “I’m so great! I’m the best! I’m better than … all the rest!” No. Humility is a valuable and very attractive quality - the opposite of the “I’m the best” message. But you can still promote yourself AND be humble.

Here Are 3 tips on How to do This

• Keep things factual - use figures and statistics where possible. The opposite of “fact” is “fluff”. Fluff means no substance, just claims. It’s hype and hot air.
• Tell a little story - which allows a bit more than just “I’m the best!” - see example below.
• Make it visible - it’s important to give it the spotlight, include some strategic achievements in an opening profile or executive summary section.

Here’s an example:

Faced chaotic, non-compliant, backlogged Finance department, but with long hours and good teamwork was able to achieve a “clear” audit and up-to-date situation within 6 months.

That’s a nice achievement - let’s analyse it.

• There are facts: “clear audit”, “up-to-date situation within 6 months” - these are verifyable facts, so it’s credible and believable.
• It’s not pompous: “with team cooperation” suggests it wasn’t all “me”. And the reader gets the message that this guy can get things done, motivate and drive a team effectively, even when under pressure.
• It tells a story - problem faced, action taken, good result: humans love little stories, so it makes the CV more readable and interesting.

It’s the easiest thing in the world for an employer to find a Manager, or whoever. But to find one who can: reduce overheads by 12% within 3 months, motivate a team to exceed sales targets by 17%, improve efficiency by 25% in 3 months, etc - that’s a much harder task.

So don’t make the task more difficult by hiding achievements away - just because you’re not comfortable with it. You’re not doing anyone any favours. Show your quality. Help the employer to see it. Help yourself.

What’s YOUR opinion on this - do you include achievements? do you find it difficult or repulsive? do you want my opinion on your achievements - write it, post it and get my opinion by clicking the “Leave a Comment” link under the title.

Next Page »