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Soul Search — Then Job Search

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Written by career consultant, Maggie Mistal

Most of us assume that the best way to find a job is to look at what’s available in online listings, or to follow someone else’s advice. However, these methods often lead to unfulfilling career choices.

You only need to look at the latest job satisfaction surveys to recognize how unfulfilled most workers feel. For seven straight years, The Conference Board has reported that less than half of U.S. workers are satisfied in their careers. So what can you do to find job satisfaction and fulfillment while still making a great living?

Uncover Your Core Genius

“Core genius” is the special contribution that each of us brings to our professional life. It’s what you are in this world to do that only you can do. It’s the unique package of skills, experiences, passions, interests, talents, abilities and attitude that you possess.

Take my client Laura Rolands. Laura was a hard-working Human Resources executive at Chrysler. She’s also a mom. When Laura’s son was diagnosed with ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder), she got to work and investigated how to best help him with attention strategies at school and in life. Through this experience and through our career coaching work together, Laura realized she had a talent and an interest in helping people with attention issues.

It led Laura to start an attention coaching business shortly after accepting a voluntary buy-out from her position in the automotive industry. Her business is in a relatively new field, focused on coaching people to overcome challenges associate with ADD or ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). Actually, you don’t need a diagnosis to benefit — anyone who feels overwhelmed or distracted in today’s hyper-connected environment will find value in Laura’s services. Her clients have developed time-saving personal routines, and have improved their academic and business performance.

The Path to a Successful Career Fit

In 10 years of coaching, I have seen that we are each uniquely built to fulfill a specific purpose. And I am proud to have many success stories such as Laura Rolands. However, too often people take their unique talents for granted. In fact, the real challenge is that most people have no idea what their purpose is. That is where I help.

I believe the best way to find your purpose — your core genius — is to conduct a formal Soul Search, and get specific about all the elements of your ideal career. It starts with helping clients assess themselves in 8 essential dimensions, as part of the “Soul Search, Research and Job Search” process I developed.

These elements include: 1) your top interests, 2) key motivators, 3) skills you want to employ, 4) ways you want to contribute, 5) best qualities, 6) best work environment, 7) activities you enjoy most, and 8) salary and benefits.

Soul Search Before Job Search

By working through exercises and self-reflection questions, we prioritize what’s most important and brainstorm career possibilities that match those elements. You can gain even deeper clarity with my downloadable (PDF) Soul Search workbook.

This workbook contains over 30 pages of exercises to help professionals uncover the eight core elements of your core genius. The insights developed from each exercise are designed to correspond with a section of your own personalized career guide. This helps you easily organize and interpret the information as the basis for brainstorming new career possibilities and making sound decisions about the best options for you.

So stop looking at want ads and instead start talking to anyone and everyone about the ways you are already of service. Carefully process all of that input, and you’ll see viable new options ahead. Take seriously the value you bring to the table, and (like Laura Rolands) believe that you can get paid to deliver it. Let others know about the high-value service you are prepared to provide. Then deliver it consistently and professionally. Soon, you’ll find you have more than enough work in your new role — and you’ll be making a living while loving what you do.

Have You Discovered Your Core Genius?

Are you in touch with your core career strengths? What steps did you take to gain that awareness? And how have you applied it to your career? Share your thoughts in the comments area.

Maggie Mistal(About the Author: CNN dubbed Maggie Mistal “one of the nation’s best-known career coaches.” A former Learning & Development executive at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, she is a certified life purpose and career coach who, for seven years, hosted “Making a Living with Maggie” on SiriusXM, and now airs a monthly podcast on iTunes. Maggie has been featured across major media, including NBC’s Today Show, Fox Business, CNN and The New York Times. Connect with Maggie on Twitter, or LinkedIn or Facebook.)

(Editor’s Note: For a limited time, in conjunction with her February 2014 appearance at #TChat Events, Maggie is offering special pricing for her “Soul Search” career planning workbook to anyone who mentions #TChat when contacting her. Don’t miss this opportunity to get a fresh perspective on your core genius!)

(Also Note: To discuss World of Work topics like this with the TalentCulture community, join our online #TChat Events each Wednesday, from 6:30-8pm ET. Everyone is welcome at events, or join our ongoing Twitter conversation anytime. Learn more…)

Image Credit: Pixabay

How Social Sleuthing Can Land You A Dream Job

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Written by Paul Bailey

Is your job hunt stalled because employers don’t respond to your inquiries? It’s time to rethink your communications strategy. Are you sending generic letters and resumes? Do you emphasize your skills and achievements? There’s a better way to gain an employer’s attention — and it’s easier than you may think.

Consider this — most recruiters rely on social media to check candidate profiles. Why not take a page from their playbook, and leverage social surveillance in your job search? It’s only fair. And it’s entirely free. All it takes is a little bit of digging.

Here’s how you can find helpful information and use it to ace every step of the job application process:

Start By Looking And Listening On Social Channels

Let’s say you find an ad for an attractive job. Your first step is to look at the company’s digital footprint — its primary website, as well as its blog, and presence on LinkedIn, Google+, Twitter and Facebook. At each location search for the following:

•  Hiring manager or recruiter name. Review their Linkedin profiles. Do you have anything in common, professionally? Be sure to check their interests and interview pet peeves on Facebook or Twitter.
•  Company background. Familiarize yourself with the organization’s target demographics, recent news, and products/services.
•  Someone who’s working in the position for which you’re applying. That person has the job you’re targeting for a good reason, so check what you have in common. If they have qualifications or technical knowledge you don’t, and those are related to the job, that’s a clue. Study those differences.
•  Challenges the company and its industry are facing. Prepare two or three suggestions on how you could help address those issues.
•  Company values, vision and mission. This is required baseline knowledge for anyone who wants to be considered a serious job contender in the social era.

Next Steps: Put Information To Use 3 Ways

1) On Your Resume

Take time to customize your resume. Align your skills and credentials with the job you’re pursuing. Highlight related achievements, too.

Remember your research on the person who already has the job you’re seeking? Look at how that person describes the job, and think about how you could insert skills or tasks on your resume that fit with that description. (Of course, don’t list these skills unless you really have them. Authenticity trumps all.)

2) On Your Cover Letter

Don’t start your cover letter with “Dear Sir/Madam” or “To Whom It May Concern.” Address the the recruiter or hiring manager directly.

Include key phrases from the job ad, and pair them with some phrases from the company’s mission/vision/values. For example, instead of writing “analyst with five years’ experience in banking,” say “analyst with a get-it-done attitude and five years’ experience in banking” (where “get-it-done attitude” is part of the company’s values).

You might think this is cheesy, but it gives the recruiter a subliminal signal that says, “Hey, this candidate will do well in our culture.” It’s also much better than using generic cliché phrases, such as “hardworking,” “honest” or “quick learner.”

3) In Interviews

Use your knowledge of the interviewer’s LinkedIn and Facebook profiles to break the ice. If you don’t have anything in common, try talking about their interests.

Don’t say something like, “I saw you worked at Chase Bank for two years. I worked there as an intern!” This ruins the ice-breaker because the recruiter will sense you’re trying too hard to establish rapport, and it reveals that you’ve been snooping on social sites.

Mention whatever it is you have in common, but don’t drag the recruiter into it. Say, “I was an intern at Chase Bank.” It’s likely that the recruiter will respond by acknowledging his history there.

Assuming you can establish rapport, the next step is to reinforce why you’re the best candidate for the job by eliminating the competition. This is where most of your research will pay off.

Asking questions makes you stand out from the hundreds who simply shake hands and say, “Thank you for your time.” Ask about the challenges new hires encounter, then tell a story about how you successfully handled similar challenges. Your awareness of current employees’ skills will be helpful, as you highlight your job-specific knowledge and competence with necessary tools. If you can confidently use the jargon or lingo associated with the job, use it.

Ask about the challenges faced by the company or industry, then share suggestions you’ve prepared in advance. However, don’t overdo it. Your task is to portray yourself as a problem-solver, not a know-it-all.

The next time you want to apply for a job, do research before you send an application. Customize your resume and cover letter for every job application you send. And use the intelligence to prepare yourself to stand out from the crowd.

Have you tried these techniques in a job search? How did they work for you? What other ideas do you recommend? Share you comments below.

168e7dae52120ad8976f5b.L._V388018754_(About the author: Paul Bailey is a certified professional coach and business improvement consultant with more than 12 years of experience. He specializes in helping people realize their potential and unleash their inner confidence, so they can find meaningful work that matches their skills and values. Learn more about Paul and his coaching services at Impact Coaching & Mentoring. Or connect with Paul on Twitter or Google+.

(Editor’s note: This post is republished from Brazen Life, with permission. Brazen Life is a lifestyle and career blog for ambitious young professionals. Hosted by Brazen Careerist, it offers edgy and fun ideas for navigating the changing world of work. Be Brazen!)

(Also Note: To discuss World of Work topics like this with others in the TalentCulture community, join our online #TChat Events every Wednesday, from 6:30-8pm ET. Everyone is welcome for events, or to join our ongoing Twitter conversation anytime. Learn more…)

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Career Moves: An Unconventional Payoff

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“Not knowing when the dawn will come, I open every door.” -Emily Dickinson

I sat along the far front corner of the partner’s desk, trying not to sulk in the chair. This particular partner, an attractive Chinese woman in her mid-30’s, sat quietly behind her desk while she studied my professional profile like an archeologist attempting to decipher an ancient scroll. She even put her glasses on at one point. The partner’s sister — also a partner, and just as attractive but a few years younger — smiled at me like I was a special child about to get on the short bus for the very first time.

They asked me a series of questions about my experience and skills. They finally warmed up to me as we continued to talk about career aspirations, Silicon Valley, VC’s and HR-related tech startups.

Finally the older sister took her glasses off and said, “You know, you’re very unconventional. You’ve done a lot over time, and have been quite diverse in a short time, especially on paper. Now you’ve engaged with us to help give it all context. And it’s a pleasure, by the way. But still, it’s hard to put you in a…bucket. You know?”

I do. And so do many others who have carved and crafted their way into unconventionality by learning new skills, making career transitions, job hopping, consulting, freelancing, starting business endeavors and any combination thereof.

Professional Mobility Goes Mainstream

Nancy Friedberg, president of New York City executive coaching firm Career Leverage, recently said in a Fortune article, “Partly because of all the economic instability lately, and partly due to the entry of Gen Y into the workforce, people increasingly see themselves as free agents. It’s all about the portfolio of skills you bring, not loyalty or security. Moving around has become the new norm.”

This was a recent candidate experience I had with an executive search firm in Silicon Valley. Lovely, smart women who knew their business and understood the power of the professional skill portfolio. But as I noted earlier this week, we are naturally stalwart creatures of comfort and habit. Talent selection, mobility and succession planning have long been determined primarily by literally matching hard skills and experience to a job description, and of course gut instinct.

This is not to disparage any search professional working today, but saying that talent strategies should focus on hard skills is no longer enough. The softer skills — communication, empathy, team-building — are just as integral to selection and development, if not more so. The partners I met with understood this and made it clear during our conversation.

Looking at Talent Through New Eyes

This week on #TChat Radio, Josh Bersin emphasized the importance of looking at human capital management challenges through a more strategic, holistic lens. Rather than emphasizing the need for hard skills alone, high-impact organizations seek people with a full spectrum of capabilities — and develop both hard and soft skills. As organizations reinforce and expand these combined capabilities in real-time, and provide flexible context that responds to workforce competencies, we can expect talent selection, talent mobility and business performance to improve.

Those of us who pursue unconventional paths should take heart – it seems the tide is turning in our direction. If only unconventionality paid better, right? Actually, for the progressive individuals and companies propelling themselves and the enterprise forward, it does.

I’ll tell you more about my new bucket soon…

Image Credit: Stock.xchng

Becoming (Social) HR Leaders: #TChat Preview

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HR means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. To me it’s been my career. I’m not sure how else to write this in the moment. I have a lot of respect for HR practitioners that are KICKING it in the trenches every day.

Ask someone on the street and they’ll say, “The lady who tells me I’m hired, gives me my employee handbook and sets up my benefits.” Ask someone inside a company and they’ll say, “The guy who tells me I’m hired, gives me my employee handbook and sets up my benefits.” Ask executive management and they’ll say, “The lady who tells me I’m hired, gives me my employee handbook and sets up my benefits.”

Wait, what? This cannot be….HR is so much more. And yes, this includes talent management and employer branding and…marketing and CEOs. We are all uniting and becoming social. This pretty much includes many different units in the workplace. Why we call #TChat The World of Work. It’s everyone.

Unfortunately lots of people (still) dislike HR departments and many still view them as the office caricature, the resume screener, back office administrator and compliance office police officer that nobody wants to work with, one of the grim realities HR pros deal with on a daily basis. The reality is so many more also know how to keep the hiring pipeline full, how to help deal with difficult or disruptive employees, and how to build and sustain an attractive workplace culture.

But let’s be honest: HR is usually seen less as curators of workplace culture and more as the police brought in to direct traffic or quell a riot. So how do we change it up? What can we do to be seen as core to the management team, positive influences, trusted partners committed to building a rewarding and resilient workplace?

Sociable vs Social – There’s a Big Difference

The key for HR is to become more human; to be more social. This doesn’t mean office birthday parties or the annual holiday party or having a beer with the work gang after work. What it means is that we have to stop focusing on managing risk and start focusing on creating and sustaining social interactions in the workplace — to hiring responsible and accountable employees who communicate and collaborate and all the other buzz “c” words you can think of, as well as doing their jobs (and then some) to help the business grow and thrive.

We have to drop the game face and show our human side. People, after all, work for people, follow people to jobs, leave jobs because of people. We have to be people before we can lead.

Right?

In the interests of exploring what it means to be more human on the HR job and how that pays dividends in small business and the enterprise, we’ve decided to look at what it takes to become social HR leaders in this week’s TalentCulture #TChat World of Work. From using social technologies and tools to spark disruptive change in the workplace to dissecting the qualities of leadership, we’re eager to hear what the community of chatters thinks about what it takes to be a social HR leader.

Susan Avello (@SusanAvello), someone who knows a thing or two about social HR, will be our guest moderator. Alongside her, to field your tweets, will be yours truly (@MeghanMBiro) and Kevin W. Grossman (@KevinWGrossman), as well as Sean Charles (@SocialMediaSean), Salima Nathoo (@SocialSalima) and Brent Skinner (@BrentSkinner). Be sure to join us at 7 PM EST / 4 PM PDT!

This will also be a preview to our first-ever World of Work live #TChat Session at the 13th Annual Illinois HR Conference & Exposition, one of the many HR Super Social Hero events that occur throughout the year. I want to personally thank Dave Ryan (@DaveTheHRCzar), Susan Avello (@SusanAvello),  Donna Rogers (@DonnaRogersHR), John Jorgensen (@jkjhr), and many , many other friends who have always supported our efforts to make the World of Work more social. I like hanging out my friends in the trenches and it all starts with #ILSHRM coming up next week August 5-7, 2012. Our live session will be Monday, August 6, from 5-6 pm CST. I’m honored to be here with many of my friends and colleagues.

Here are the questions we’ll be discussing in this week’s #TChat (and next week at #ILSHRM):

  • Q1: In HR and the world of work, what does it mean to do the opposite of what’s been done to spark disruptive change?
  • Q2: What are the traits that make for a great HR pro?
  • Q3: How do great leaders lead in business today and why?
  • Q4: What are the cool new HR technology tools and why?
  • Q5: Where does social media make sense as an HR and recruiting tool and why?
So join us tonight, Wednesday, August 1, and if you’re in Chicago starting on August 5, come see us at the Illinois State SHRM session! Meghan M. Biro and Kevin W. Grossman look forward to discussing the above questions with our esteemed panel:
Geoff Webb (@SocialHRGuy) and Salima Nathoo (@SocialSalima) will be our special live audience moderators — because like our weekly online #TChat, this session’s all about participation and inclusion — for everybody. Let’s be inclusive and social. We can do this.

 Image Credit: Stock.xchng

Should Colleges Add Recruiting Major? #TChat Recap

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I’m pretty sure the overall consensus was:  “Yes, we should offer college degrees in recruiting and talent acquisition.” And yes social media is driving the future of recruiting and many other industries.

But how to get there, well, that’s where the beauty of diverse opinion spread its colorful wings.  What was clear in my analysis of the smart and savvy Twitter steam last night was the fact that this kind of a degree should be graduate level and culminate in an MBA of sorts like HR programs that exist today — i.e., a six-year program with lots of educated bells and whistles taught by those with real-world recruiting and talent strategy experience twining reality with theory.

On the same educational track, there were those last night who had advanced degrees in human resources actually working in HR today (very exciting), and then there those of us who did the psych/anthro combo in college and who played HR/recruiting on various 1970’s cop TV shows (kind of exciting).

Don’t look at me that way.

Then there were those last night who just wrote something to the effect of, “Go to work in talent acquisition and recruiting and do it.  That’s the best educational experience you’re ever going to get.”

The best way to know and grow is to do; teachers, mentors and those training newbies should definitely d0-do.  I made a similar tongue-in-cheek remark last night, but I really meant it, the fact formal and informal knowledge sharing must originate from those who already do.  Experience doesn’t appear in a magical well we drink from.

Although I’ve been told about some ancient artesian well high up in the Sierra Nevada mountains…

An alternative to the college degree route would be industry certification, most of which HR owns in global organizations such as SHRM as well as others.  In recruiting, there really aren’t any certifications being offered.  There is AIRS and there’s also a new certification program called Black Belt Recruiter, but otherwise not as well known.

Would college degrees and certifications add validity and credibility to the recruiting and talent acquisition profession?  Does it in HR?  I guess that depends on who you’re talking with, but in the corporate world I’d say a qualified yes.

Again, either way, the best way to know is to d0-do.  And I truly mean that.

You can find last night’s transcript here and here.   We didn’t ask all the questions below, but only because a couple were answered within ones previous to them:

  • Q1: New territory. Let’s define what a recruiting/career/talent acquisition strategy college minor/major should be.
  • Q2: Are these separate majors/college degrees? Why or why not?
  • Q3: Compared to on the job experience, how would these college degrees improve the profession?
  • Q4: What would you consider to be the 3 most important pillars of this college curriculum and why?
  • Q5: Should it be a 2-year degree or 4-year, or options for both?  Why?
  • Q6: Who should teach these college classes and why?
  • Q7: You can get college degrees in HR/biz mgmnt, but should there be one for the recruiting/talent/business of careers?
  • Q8: And what about certification?  HR has them but should careers/recruiting/talent strategy as well?  Why?

Thank you all for joining us last night!  Next week’s topic is “For fear of firing– reconciling being a good leader/boss with being a good person” and will be moderated by TalentCulture’s very own Meghan M. Biro.

Tweet you next time.  I’ll see some of you at the ERE Expo tonight in sunny rainy San Diego.