This post speaks to the basics of Sales and Marketing 101, and why these basics are crucial pieces of your resume. Yes, the subject’s been covered by others many times before. It will be covered again, I have no doubt. So why now? Why by me? Because every week I talk to people who tell me they don’t know the concept or get the tie-in. If they do, further conversation often reveals they’re not applying it. And that’s pure sabotage to their career marketing efforts. So here we go.

1.      Know the product

Always remember, the product is you. The first sales lesson is to really understand your product (you) and communicate it clearly. Just what is this product called you? Are you an aerospace engineer? A high school teacher? A financial executive? A graphic designer? A technical writer? Whatever function you are targeting—whether it is what you’ve been doing for your employer(s), what you hope to do as a new grad, or what you hope to do in a career change transition, make sure it’s clear from the get-go. This means right off the bat in your resume. Employers and their hiring folks will not take time to figure it out. Why should they? They are concerned that you might fit their hiring needs. They are not interested in  reaching out to make sure you’re understood. That’s la-la land. I’m not a fan of the old objective. I prefer to give my clients a headline title. It shows focus with credibility. It subtly shouts “I am this person!”

2.      Position the product

Have a clear picture of how you want to be perceived. Then position yourself with that picture in mind. This is often very strategic. Sometimes less is more. For example, my client James is a vice president of software development. In our resume consultation, he vehemently wanted to load the resume with his technical skills. He had enough to cover one-third of a page. While impressive in some respects, to include all these skills would not have worked in James’ favor. He would have been perceived as a hands-on “techie” rather than an executive charged with financial oversight, team development and leadership, strategic planning and global relationship management. We conveyed his vast technical abilities in a two-line synopsis. Knowing how to write code simply wasn’t part of his job target. And it would have stolen valuable real estate space from content that was targeted and needed to be covered.

3.      Stress benefits

One of the oldest sales and marketing adages is “Sell benefits, not features.” This is as true in marketing yourself as it is in selling shampoo. “Contains PEG-60 Almond Glycerides conditioning product” (a feature) does not sell as well as “Contains a secret, safe and natural  ingredient that will make your hair shine with health!” Employers are tuned in to the WIFM station – “What’s In-It For Me?” Go back to Marketing and Sales 101. To that employer, your MBA is a feature. The fact that you brought a project in $6M under budget, consistently delivering 12%+ savings through Eagle-eye monitoring, is a benefit that employer will appreciate and value.

4.      Back it up

If you claim early in your resume that you’re known for “catapulting over aggressive sales goals in the field and behind the scenes,” you should support this statement with specific examples. The following speaks volumes:

• Landed lion’s share of ABC Corporation’s largest accounts—74% of annual revenues.
• Increased sales pipeline 36% through new sales training program and tracking system.
• Boosted revenues 24% in a struggling economy with a new client-centric sales strategy.

The resume, cover letter and other career marketing documents are to typically get you to the next-step interview. Use these four sales and marketing basics to grab attention, convey relevant value, make that reader care! It’s about them at this point. But the product being marketed? That’s all about you!

I know multitasking’s been considered one of the most desirable talents in the past. I’m not sure I agree, but that’s another blog post. I have to admit I was surprised to read in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology that the number of goals a person typically juggles at once is 15! That can’t be good. As I said, I won’t touch the pros and cons with a 10-foot pole right now. I did find some interesting things about dealing with the stress or mental clutter that comes with daily multitasking and demands. Whether you’ve got job-search balls in the air, or just day-to-day juggling, perhaps these tips will help when you want to scream, “Enough!”

I have learned a lot from my clients. I’m still learning. These discoveries came from three of them; names changed of course. And research backs up their stories. How cool is that?

Surprise perks with helping others

Did you know that if your husband has a stressful day looking for work, doing his job work or doing whatever else he was doing that day, offering support can calm both him and you? Tanya shared this one with me. It was actually something she and her colleagues discovered in neuroscience research at a leading national university. They found that women who held their significant other’s arm as he got painful electrical shocks experienced a surge of activity in the brain’s pleasure center – and reduced activity in the brain area that governs fear. Fascinating! “And a bonus,” she told me, “was that providing support made the women feel closer to their partner.”

Peer advice power

Todd had an upcoming interview for a job he wanted badly. “This is the one,” he told me. He prepared through coaching and research. He was as ready as he could be. In fact, he was obsessed and ran the risk of over preparing. So, he was pleasantly surprised and delighted when he found an additional and valuable preparation: a strategy to ease his jitters. What? He chatted with a good friend who had just been through a similar interview situation. After Todd shared how much it helped, I was intrigued. I did a little digging and found that researchers at Harvard University found that subjects who were preparing for interviews or peer evaluations of some type, cut errors in predicting their own emotional responses to the event by 63% after hearing how a friend or someone in their social network did. It seems that getting a friend’s insights can help you foresee curveballs, so you’re better prepared when problems do come up.

Quick cure for mind mess

Brenda was working in a toxic environment where people did not know who was next on the chopping block, or who would offend the decision-makers who quite frankly, were not very nice folks. One day, Brenda was trying to facilitate a leadership meeting, field questions and give a presentation. At one point, the COO made a rude remark to Brenda that made her want to go through the roof. To quit right then and there. Here’s what she did instead. She quietly excused herself, and walked into the next room, a quiet unoccupied office. In about five minutes, she was able to gather her thoughts, compose herself, and return to the original meeting with the COO and others. Again, interesting science base. Researchers at Notre Dame discovered that walking through a doorway made subjects three times less likely to recall memories formed in the room they’d just left. An entryway serves as an event boundary that separates episodes of activity and files them away. They call it the “doorway effect”. It gives you a fresh start.

We all juggle. What to make for dinner. Car needs fixing. A test. Quality time with family. Work demands. Dirty house. To-dos being pushed to the back burner for too long. It’s good to know that there are things we can catalog away in our brains (or computer / notebook if you have a memory like mine) that can really, truly help us move through whatever life is throwing at us!

Photo: nimbu

Does age discrimination exist in the job market? Absolutely! But it’s not always that simple. It’s possible that if you’re over 50 and having a difficult job search, the reason could be beyond age discrimination. It will serve you well to recognize it, sort it out and resolve it!

Real or perceived?

Yes, age discrimination exists. But as I’ve experienced with many of my over-age-50 clients, many are quick to point the finger of blame at age discrimination, when it might be something else.

• Money. It’s common that those who are older also earn more. But I don’t believe that salary discrimination and age discrimination are the same thing, although they’re typically linked together. Why? Power. If salary seems to be an obstacle in finding employment, you as the job seeker can change the salary you ask for. No, it’s not simple. But it’s more possible than changing your age. In fact, it’s achievable. It may mean selling why less is okay to an employer. It may mean actually putting your time in and stepping back a bit if you choose to do something different. But everything’s negotiable to some extent.
• Entitlement. Some folks over 50 seem to feel they’ve paid their dues. John did. He also felt that his record of employer loyalty and longevity should speak for itself. He admitted he initially felt it would be his ticket. That sending the resume and interviewing were just formalities. John’s attitude was unrealistic in today’s economy. Broader than that, it’s not realistic in today’s technology-driven, competitive global job market. After coaching around his situation, John realized his skills were a bit outdated. His past was not enough. But here’s the interesting part. I also work with lots of 20-something clients. And all ages in between. These folks feel it’s been an unusually challenging market too. They’re under qualified. They have the catch-22 of need experience to get experience. There are as many unique situations as there are unique individuals.
• Job. Bart, at age 57, was chalking up his job search frustrations to age discrimination. With a bit of digging and brainstorming, he realized that was not the case. It was more complex than that. He and his family had decided to move from the West Coast to the Midwest where they were from. Bart had an 18-year career in the semiconductor industry. His industry was very niche; so were his skill sets. His future city and state did not house one business of this kind. And of course, he had the issue of a long-distance search. Once he realized the challenges, he figured out ways to address them. He networked in the new area. He took some classes to take his strong skills into another related industry represented by a number of corporations in his new destination.

So, for many of those people over age 50, the problem is perceived discrimination. It’s the despondency of not seeing encouraging feedback in the market and throwing in the mental towel too quickly. The job search has been challenging for most people – not just those over 50. There are also many success stories for those over 50 and every other age in the workforce.

Don’t hit the cow

I heard this story back in school, and I think it applies here. Emma was an American living in New Delhi, India where her husband, also an American, was employed. Emma was determined to carry on her free-spirited ways. The first thing, she decided, was to get used to driving in the huge city. She was driving fast to keep pace, yet unfamiliar with where she was going. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a man standing at the side of the road. He yelled out, “COW!” A big-boned woman, Emma thought he was referring to her. She glared at him, yelled out something I won’t print, and sped ahead. Hitting a cow, sacred to many Indians.

The point here is that Emma was so caught up in her own world and preconceived ideas, that she immediately made an incorrect assumption and missed the more important message. How many times do you or someone you know, who is over 50, approach the job-search process with misleading beliefs?

If you’re feeling frustrated in your job search and pinning it on age, ask yourself what you would do if you were 40 instead of 50? 30 instead of 40? Do those things. Forget about your age and try to tackle the other issues, including – and this is key – your own discouragement and self-defeating thoughts. Your career path may have 15 more years, or maybe not. But don’t let your perceptions about your age undermine your enthusiasm to achieve your career goals. Yes, you may need to negotiate. You may need to compromise. You may need to strategize. But the important thing is, you can position yourself as a success and move forward.

Photo: a2gemma

In a world where many juggle umpteen balls in the air and often feel bombarded by information and to-do overload, it is not surprising that worry surfaces as one of the main culprits my clients in job search voice concern about. Over the years, I’ve researched and recommended strategies to help push through worries. Clients have reported positive feedback. I’d like to share some with you.

Quick ways to curb worry

• Journal. Research shows that worries subside just by writing them down. Why? A log or diary gives you a concrete place to store your concerns, so you can distance yourself from them. When you write them down, your fears don’t seem so looming anymore. A report from researchers at the University of Chicago offered this illustration. Students who took 10 minutes to write down their anxieties before a major exam, performed better than their non-journaling peers.
• Gaze upward. This may sound silly. But research supports the fact that if you look up at the sky – its fluffy clouds, bright blue or sun effects, your racing thoughts of worry can be shirt-circuited and replaced with focus on tranquility and serenity. Beyond the sky, just looking out the window or concentrating on any big, distant object subconsciously gives your brain a broader perspective that shrinks your worries by comparison.

Battle worry with fun

• Play a game. Playing a card or other game demands that you pay attention. The part of your brain that wanders (and worries) is overshadowed by the part that concentrates. Confession: I’m hooked on Words with Friends. Not a game player? The key is to do something that absorbs your attention. Chop vegetables. Sort a kitchen drawer. Read through your favorite recipes to pick something for dinner.
• Help someone. Doing something for someone else shifts your focus away from your worries. If it works with your schedule, volunteer. But you don’t have to volunteer to benefit in the worry department. Call a friend. Bake a cake for an elderly neighbor. And it’s interesting; research again shows that people who were worried about finances felt better after donating as little as $5 to a favorite charity. Their focus shifted from worry to comfort.
• Make music. You no doubt know that listening to music boosts your mood; it’s a great anxiety buster! So, why not choose those tunes that soothe you? Turn off the radio and make your own soundtrack. Then put it on random shuffle to keep your brain engaged by anticipation. Or do double duty; program those songs to take with you on a walk for extra stress relief.

Plot your time to thwart worries

• Schedule worry. Really! If you’re consumed with this nagging angst, why not delegate time to it? Ideally, pick a time late in the day when you can worry 100%. Schedule it. When the time comes around, do nothing but think about everything that bothers you. But here’s the key. Don’t do it for more than five minutes. Set a timer. Mental health experts refer to this as “worry containment.” It frees your mind to think about other things throughout the day. Why? You know you’ll worry later; it’s on the schedule. So your brain says, “You don’t have to worry about this now.”
• Schedule action. Start small. Pick just one day to focus on action; mark it on your calendar. Write down all the people you know to start networking. Work on your resume. Practice interviewing. Pick up the phone and call some of those people on your networking list. Update your LinkedIn profile – or get it started.  Research companies that are of interest to you and hire those who do what you do. Scheduling your time gives your subconscious mind a deadline and again according to experts, more than doubles your chances of sticking to it!

Stress and worry are part of life. But they don’t have to consume you; don’t let them. There’s no magic bullet to alleviate worry. But you can be in control, so that your thoughts and energies are not zapped with racing what-ifs; they’re poured into doing what needs to be done to land that great job!

Photo: Robert Bouza

Honestly, is it that hard to relax, shift gears and roll with the punches? Umm. Yeah; sometimes it is. And a job search or career issue can yield quite a few blows. Sometimes you feel down for the count. If you’re feeling rigid against life’s hits, here are some ways to loosen up and move with grace when you’re not in your comfort zone.

Why is it so hard?

I’m not sure about you, but I take great comfort in familiarity; so do many of my clients, according to what they tell me. This can be good. Routines and thinking in habitual ways saves time and energy; and is often efficient. But we sometimes get caught in what one expert in psychological flexibility calls “psychological stuckness.” And that’s not good, because it can stop you from moving forward in other, more productive or impactful ways. My client Jean had trouble getting unstuck when it came to embracing social media. In today’s world, this doesn’t serve the job seeker well. Mark almost turned down an offer (which was by the way, a perfect fit) because it was 25 miles farther than he had on his “wish list” for target companies.

Loosen your hold

Sometimes inflexibility stems from the fear of failing, being hurt or not being in control. The latter was very familiar to my client Julianna, a 40ish project manager and married mom of two. “I’m a Type-A-Perfectionist,” she told me. “I admit that sometimes I won’t do something because it might not be perfect.” Julianna’s epiphany came this winter when friends asked her to go cross-country skiing. She strongly resisted, thinking she’d fall, be cold and be bored out in the winter woods. Her friends didn’t let her off the hook. “Jul, it’s an hour or so of your life, for heaven’s sake!” So, she went. And had a great time! She said she hadn’t laughed that hard in a long time. She also felt great about the exercise benefits. “That ah-hah moment made me realize that flexibility is important,” Julianna told me. “I try to work it into other parts of my life. And when my husband, Patrick recently lost his job, my new attitude made a big difference in how I responded and supported him.” Julianna had connected flexibility to being much about acceptance.

Release it

I’ve heard story after story from clients where their inflexibility – or someone else’s – caused problems in getting things done or moving forward. What I found most interesting, was that it also did a number on the unbendable individual’s self-esteem. One of my long-time clients, Sherri, was sent reeling recently. A nose-to-the-grindstone woman who had worked hard to get to a Senior Vice President role she loved. She had done “all the right stuff” – or so she thought. Got an MBA and other credentials. Worked long hours. Volunteered for extra committees. Hired a nanny to help with her two children. So, when she lost her job, victim to a major acquisition and restructuring, she was angry. Then, she allowed herself to let go. There were no bad guys here. She did nothing wrong. “They took over and didn’t need all of us. It really was just business.” In fact, Sherri gained major traction in letting go. “Now, when things aren’t going the way I hoped they would, I don’t stress like I used to. I go to a quiet place and meditate. Or at least breathe deeply, close my eyes, and give it up.”

Sherri decided to try real estate. And ironically, her new attitude enhanced her job security with the new employer. They remarked that they liked her flexibility. They had noticed she handled uncertainty well. And that was a good thing. She soon learned why. “You had better be flexible in real estate, or find another job,” she told me. “A client may or may not show up. Interest rates fluctuate. You have no control. I plan my day in pencil with several erasers by my side,” she joked.  I thought it very cool that she transferred this new found talent for letting go, to helping her clients. “I tell them that when we sign the contract, we can do a little happy dance. We save the big dance for after the closing!”

Try to stretch

I believe that although we probably can’t force our personalities to change overnight, we can train ourselves to be more accepting and accommodating. If you want to loosen up, one of the best ways is to put yourself in a situation where you have to be flexible.  Back to that psychological stuckness. A new challenge, though painful to take on, can help unlock your mental flexibility. Have you noticed that those people who are generally very rigid, have body language to match? Tensed up. Breathing shallow. Short choppy movements when under stress. One of the exercises I find helpful to clients is to help change their perspective about something by imagining themselves to be someone they think is physically flexible. Top picks have been Madonna and Derek Hough, the dance pro on Dancing with the Stars. I ask them to show me how that person walks and what gestures they use. Then I’ll ask them, “How would that person deal with the ___ issue that is challenging you?” Clients often laugh at this point. But they loosen up! The act of forcing themselves to physically act as a different person helps them reframe their problems and come up with new solutions.

Yes, balance

Being more open-minded and flexible is not synonymous with ignoring your values or morals; it’s not being a pushover. But it does mean training yourself to engage with life as it comes. Living in the moment rather than focusing on wishful do-overs of the past or fear of the future. The good news is, that anyone can learn this at any age. My husband and I recently moved from the north woods to the metro area. I was honestly terrified of driving here. Always someone on my tail or aggressively weaving in and out. Streets seemed like mazes. After just three weeks of putting myself out there, it’s a piece of cake. I’m in the hood. I get it. The ability to change is just another muscle. One that needs regular exercise!

Photo: jemasmith

If you’re proactively managing your job search or career these days, you’re no doubt online. You should be on LinkedIn. Social media sites like Twitter, Facebook and others can be helpful. You may be blogging, visiting various job boards and career sites. To do so, you need passwords. Are you being smart about yours?

Weak passwords can yield bad consequences

At one time we all probably visited a handful of sites once perhaps monthly, that needed a user name and password. Then, it was typical to have the same password for each site visited. It was also common to have your password be something easy to remember. The name of your pet or first-born child for example. Today, you may visit 10 or more sites daily that require identifying information.

The old methods of using the same password for all the sites you visit, along with an easy password will not serve you well at all. The hackers have something called a “Rainbow Table” that can guess an easy password in just over a second. To protect yourself against this kind of hacking, use a password that is long – at least 8 characters. And this is important. Use different passwords for different sites, even if you visit several regularly.

You may be saying, “Barb, we’re just talking social networking here; not my bank.” Well, here’s the deal. In the past month, I’ve received seven emails from friends or colleagues explaining that their email accounts were hacked. I actually knew this already, because I had received emails – supposedly from them – with links to sites none of us would visit. If hackers break into your email account and get your password, they have a program that can match up your profile with the top sites you may visit. They then try to log into those sites using your information. Next, they try to gain access to your personal data, including credit card and other financial information.

With just one compromised account, the bad guys can retrieve information  that may include your social media accounts, yes. But also your investments, online shopping accounts and checking or other bank accounts.

You don’t want to make the top of this list

Weak passwords are a welcome mat for hackers to “come on in” and take contact lists, phone numbers – a myriad of information. Their goal may be to steal your identity, or it may be to sell your information to spammers. None of it is good for you. So what are some bad passwords? Here’s the list of Top 25 most used passwords in 2011, compiled by Forbes and the Top 500 of all time, as shared by What’s My Pass.

So, what to avoid? What makes a bad or weak password?

• Your birthday or any date that might have significance for you.
• People’s names or any name that has significance for you.
• Personal information such as your license plate, social security (yikes) number, or phone number.
• Dictionary words – words in any language that can be found in a dictionary or on the Internet.
• Words or phrases from books, films, poems, songs, famous speeches, etc.
• Commonly used passwords. If you check the links above, you’ll see passwords like 123456, password, iloveyou and abc123. You just have to be more inventive than that. The hackers certainly are.

Characteristics of a strong password

So how do you choose strong (and different) passwords for each site you visit? Here are some tips:

Choose at least 8 characters from the following categories:

• Uppercase letters: A, B, C, D etc.
• Lowercase letters: a, b, c, d, etc.
• Numbers: 0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9
• Symbols: (#,),@,? – anything on the keyboard that isn’t a letter or number

Following the “8 4 Rule” can work well.

• 8 = 8 characters minimum length
• 4 = 1 lower case + 1 upper case + 1 number + 1 special character

The above rule works well with many systems requiring that your password be from a variety of character classes. The letters a to z are one character class. A to Z is other. 0 to 9 another, and the symbols are a fourth. The more character classes you use, the more secure your password will be. So “rhubarb” is less secure than “RhuBarb” which is less secure than “Rh1B@r!”

It’s all about you

Here are some ideas on coming up with words that only you would know:

• Choose two objects from a picture that you’ll always remember. For example, a framed drawing from your child’s first grade gift to you might be horsebirds.
• Choose two  terms from a memorable purchase. For example: pinedoor (first house).
• Look through a catalog and choose two terms based on something you see.
• Look up a random article on Wikipedia and choose two words found in the article.

Then separate your two words with symbols and numbers; add capital letters. So pinedoor becomes Pine&1doo!.

• You can pick a phrase that is easy for you to remember. For example, “Salad is always a good choice for lunch.” Your password could be $1@agc4L. Starting a password with a symbol makes it stronger. Using $ for the letter “s”, 1 for the letter “i” and @ for “always” are examples of how to substitute letters with symbols you can remember.

Some systems require you to change your password every 180, 90 or 60 days. If you’re familiar with the cycle, you can add a date based component to your password and change it each time it is required. For example, J12 could be added when you need to change your password in June of 2012.

The storage and memory challenge

Obviously, the more complicated your passwords are and the more of them you use, the tougher they are to remember.

RoboForm,  Password Safe and LastPass are just three of a number of tools available to help you securely store and remember your passwords.

Keep in mind that there are different types of vulnerability with your method of storage. Even with the use of online tools, there is always the potential for security breaches. And if you choose to use the older method of storage – paper – that can certainly work well for you. If you’re working from a private home setting with no one sharing that space but your spouse or Fido, the dog, your risk is different from that of having your computer in a cubicle office with 100 or more people who might walk by on a daily basis.

If you’re a work user, it may be against your company’s policies to write down your password. If someone finds it and does something bad with it, YOU could get fired. Even if you write it down and put it in a drawer, it’s not very secure. What are you going to cover the sticky note with, when the night custodian comes in or the meeting is in your office? Find out what your employer’s policies are regarding passwords, and stick to them. Now, I’m going to assume you’re NOT conducting your search from the office of course.

If you feel you need a non-digital storage to help you remember your passwords, and you’re in a home environment free from traffic, you can pick a spiral notebook to record your password activity. Keep in someplace that you will remember; someplace no one else needs to be aware of. Realistically, the chances of someone breaking into your house and stealing your passwords are next to none. Even if your house is burglarized, they’re apt to take the whole computer and your pearls. They’ll not likely be rummaging around for your spiral notebook so they can harvest money from your bank account. That means that spiral should not be on the desk with a “Passwords” title!

Think of passwords as keys. You probably lock the front door and take the keys with you when you leave. You probably don’t leave your keys in the ignition when you go into the grocery store. Your passwords are your keys. Your identity is at stake. That’s more important than any string of pearls.

Photo: marc falardeau

I’ve been an observer and coaching partner with many people in job search or career management mode for more than 20 years. I’ve empathized with those struggling to move forward; and celebrated with those who did just that. I have an opinion on what separates the two.

Success not necessarily = to external factors

Do you ever wonder why some people are constantly pushing forward in their job search or careers? And others are not? They’re stuck. Why some have a natural knack to succeed no matter what the immediate situation? Or the economic climate? What’s different? What’s the magic formula? Well, it’s not magic, but I believe there is a pattern.

As with most things in life, it’s often simple in theory and not so simple in practice. Here’s the reality as I see it. Those who drive their careers know their identity never changes. What does change are the roles they play. John might be a Project Manager at work. At home, he’s a spouse and father. In his community, he’s active in church and a youth soccer coach. If he has an off day in one role, he never allows that to influence his individuality.

Barb’s client heroes

I take notes when coaching clients in job search. Lots of notes. I dig deeper than their on-the-face strategies, action and results, although these obviously matter. We talk about what intrinsic or adopted habits, styles and traits helped them – and continue to help them. Since our lives – careers no exception – are evolving, we talk about how they were able to respond to challenges in ways that served them well. I got the “drive – park” analogy from my client, Peter. In one of our early coaching sessions, he said, “Barb, I feel like a car with the gear stuck in park. No matter how badly I want to, I can’t seem to shift to drive.” How do I do that?

As I always do, I shared nuggets that I know worked for other clients. Call these principles. Mantras. Coping mechanisms. Strengths. You might even feel they’re too obvious. It’s back to the practice versus theory.

From my files, here are some commonalities with client heroes who kept forward focused. They:

• Acknowledged change. To do otherwise entices anger, frustration, fear and other negative emotions. Anger can cause you to make impulsive decisions. Fear can paralyze you before the job search even begins. Frustration can cause you to give up just when something’s about to happen.
• Didn’t internalize negative or positive events. Things happen. Could be a firing or layoff; a promotion or raise. A company gets acquired or goes bankrupt. Sometimes you have control; sometimes you don’t. Maybe you see what you might have done differently. None of these things define you as an individual. It’s kind of a two steps forward, two steps backward that is life. If there are lessons, take them and go on.
• Were accountable. You come into this world with you and leave with you. Take ownership of the part you may have played in losing a job, not getting the promotion, etc. If you can’t do anything to change what was, forgive yourself and move on. If you can do something, what? Try it.
• Pushed through adversity. In line with my “you are always with you” perspective, you can and should always be your own cheerleader. Yes, have a support team and champions. But in the end, you must pick yourself up. Put one foot in front of the other. Shift from park to drive.
• Accepted failure. Dread of rejection can hold you back in your job search campaign. Disappointments are part of the growth process. In the employment landscape, you get two answers. “Yes, it’s a fit,” and “No, there isn’t a fit.”Expect both responses. Oprah was told she would never make it on television. The Beatles were told they should go back to their day jobs. So I use the term “failure” very loosely here.
• Looked forward. One of my clients once told me (may not be an original quote, but certainly was impactful), “Barb, I don’t look back, because I’m not going that way!” Wow! Don’t get stuck in the “Why me?” phase. Focus on the steps you need to move forward. What are the roadblocks? How will you handle them? Distinguish between your immediate and long-term goals. Strategize and carry out your career campaign accordingly.
• Steered clear of unfair comparisons. If you shape goals that are true to your values, likes, accomplishments – the authentic you – you will measure success in realistic terms. There will always be someone smarter, richer, better looking – fill in the blank. This is about you, what you want, where that is, and getting it.
• Were consistent. Create a realistic but aggressive action plan. If it’s not working, step back to figure out why. Perhaps the cart’s ahead of the horse. Go back to the figure out what you want, find it, get it and keep it mantra. Drop what’s not working and do more of what is. Keep on, consistently and persistently.

Sometimes it’s an easy trap to become the victim. But career success is a choice. Your career shift is not broken. You’re in control to shift gears at any time.

Photo: brownpau

Whether you are stepping into the job market for the first time or navigating it as a seasoned worker, today you need a new set of skills to stay at the top of your game and at the top of the talent pool. I’m not referring to particular skills sets in your industry or role; I am talking about an attitude of thinking like a CEO in your job search or career. Always thinking from the angle of starting up new, of reinvesting, of staying connected . Because nothing is certain in today’s workforce – not for anyone.

Think start-up

You may work for a small non-profit, a 35-person small business or a huge global organization. It doesn’t matter. You need to think like a startup entrepreneur. I talk to people every day in career transition. Many of them are stuck in what I call, the days of the golden watch. It is extremely rare (if it exists at all) where just doing your job working for The Company will get you promoted and keep you secure. I don’t care what your industry, role or level; today you need to develop your own abilities, your own plus points, your own prospects. You shape an identity that’s yours alone. And here’s the key. It’s completely separate from your current job or company.

The million-dollar question here is, Why? Because businesses that don’t invest in themselves are in serious jeopardy. Ditto for individuals.

 The key to self-investment

The world abounds with self-help tools to work on your weaknesses. Here’s the deal. Work on your strengths. Develop your transferable skills. Are you an effective writer? Public speaker? Financial whiz?  A talented crafter?  IT savvy? Hone these skills in a way that will be useful beyond your current job. Start small. That’s the way successful entrepreneurs do it. Speak at a Chamber event. Start a blog on Cloud computing. Offer French tutoring at your local church or community center. You try something. Then you step back and say, “This really worked; I’ll do more of it.” Or, “That did not work well; maybe I’ll try a new approach.” When you have an idea you wish to pursue, set aside one day a week. Start it as an outside project. See where it goes.

The opportunities connection

I just read an article that pointed to an Intelligent Office survey of over a thousand workers. Not one participant said they wanted to be a corporate executive. Instead, nearly 65 percent of respondents wanted to become entrepreneurs. How does this tie in with opportunities? People are still looking for success. The attitudes of how to get that are shifting. Not all of these people will start their own businesses. But their mindsets are moving into how that success is defined individually.

The tie-in? The best opportunities tend to be things where you have an outlook with a twist. There’s a reason you see opportunities where others don’t. You’ve been laid off and your long-time printing employer is not coming back – swimming upstream against the Internet. You think there’s potential providing personal home services in your town – organizational, errands and the like. You see it because you know that the bulk of your neighborhood consists of dual-income couples working 14-hour days and spending the rest of their time carting kids to various activities.

Maybe you’re staying in employee mode. My client Jean went from project coordinator at a medical device company, to a six-figure VP role. She’d always been admired for her technical skills. Her leadership skills were there but invisible. She volunteered for two difficult, high-profile projects, which she executed successfully. Now she was on the radar as a star. The recipe – from a CEO’s point of view – is to play well on what’s happening in the now, Where’s the pain or need? And what do you do well that will make it better? And how will you lead to make that happen?

Don’t forget the N word

Networking is more critical than ever. Keep a strong set of alliances with people, both inside and outside your company. That’s how you get the information and intelligence you need to do your job better and find new opportunities. But those connections have to be give and take. Relationships are living things; they need to be cultivated, or they die. So be helpful. It can be as simple as sending one of your contacts an article you think might interest them. And if you or someone else leaves your company, keep those contacts. Regardless of your current situation, keep these allies. Let them know you will listen and share; you have their backs.

Adaptability = stability

Another common mindset is “I’m unemployed, so I will now transition.” Or, “I hate my job, so I will now transition.” Reactive mode is not your friend. This world, whether you like it or not, is an adapting, evolving place. The only constant is change. And the truth is, you need to adapt and evolve with it. The irony is, adaptability is required for stability. Learning to adapt to the new career landscape is what gives you stability. Most of us want a stable, enjoyable life Then we must be adaptable. The world is certainly not going to alter for us. Never has.

Think about your work from the perspective of not clinging to your job as a child would to his blanket. There’s something no one can take away from you. And that is what you do best. What you do best and love to do. Your life chapters may include starting a small company, blazing a path through corporate channels, or making a living by blogging from your back deck. But you’re the product. You’re the CEO. Create your vision. Have a plan. Go get it!

Photo: ilovemypit

If you’re in a job search, you know that old-fashioned networking is crucial. It’s the best way to get your foot in the door. Yet, if you’ve not included social networking in the mix, you’re missing the boat.

Finding and being found

If most of your job search time at the computer is spent filling out online applications and blasting your resume out to advertised openings, you are engaging in the least effective way to find employment. You are not pulling others to you. Worse, you don’t even exist for those who might want to hire you – or know those who might.

Social networking allows you to find those who can help you and whom you can help. The best of both worlds. Real networking via technology. Now, it’s not the Field of Dreams movie scenario (“If you build it, they will come.”) when you just set up your LinkedIn profile and stop.

The playing field

Your job search today might include emailing your resume (with links to your social media presence) to employers, or tweaking your profiles on LinkedIn, Google+ or elsewhere. Why is social media important to engaging in the job search? Because those hiring and in the know say that’s where they’re looking. They’re more likely to spot relevant skills and competencies by sifting through a candidate’s publicly available social media presence – their blogs, comments on blogs, LinkedIn, YouTube, Twitter and other sites — than they are by only seeing a resume that’s been filtered through an applicant tracking system (ATS).

According to the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), some social recruiting firms like jobpage.com, take the best of a user’s profile into the their ATS. If the firm can find the candidate’s Twitter account, they bring in a summary of the last handful of tweets to peruse whether the comments are work related. And according to Jobvite, 89% of U.S. companies are now using social networking to recruit. LinkedIn, with 135 million members worldwide, accounts for 73% of hires through social media.  According to LinkedIn’s communications manager, Richard George, more than 7,400 companies use LinkedIn Recruiter to find passive candidates.

Skin in the game

It’s work. But it’s a domino effect that can produce phenomenal outcomes. So where to start? If you were in a traditional networking situation – let’s say at a Chamber event, at a conference or even your kid’s soccer game – you would not be standing in a corner eyes down and mouth silent. Not if you were trying to network in a job search. This is not different. Some ideas:

• Find target companies you’re interested in. Connect with people who work for those companies. Invite them to connect on LinkedIn. Follow them on Twitter and retweet them. Comment on their blogs or shared links; talk to them. When you retweet or comment on something they post, they get a fuzzy.
• Twitter has many discussion groups called Twitter Chats. These groups get together and have moderated discussions about all kinds of topics. It’s a great way to increase your network. The more you engage and comment, the more others will follow you and share your content. Others will see it … and so on.
• Participate in relevant LinkedIn discussions through Q & A (you can have your answers ranked) and through the LinkedIn groups that are a fit for you.
• Follow recruiters, companies and people on Facebook. “Like” their pages and comments; make your own comments in response.
• If you’re a confident writer, start your own blog. It doesn’t matter if you’re world-renowned in your field. You have a unique opinion that others may enjoy. It’s not always what you say, but how you say it. Work at becoming a voice in your area of expertise. If you’re not comfortable blogging, use your voice in your conversations. In other words, really meet people, listen to them and give back – all online.

What you can do for them

There’s an adage that’s true here. “It’s not what you know, and it’s not who you know; it’s who knows what you can do.” Yes, our platforms have changed. But we’re still talking the essence of career marketing. The people at the gym see you three days a week. The folks where you volunteer know your name and like having you around. But they may not have a clue in how you add value to a job or employer. Same online.

Whenever you have the chance and it seems appropriate, show your value proposition. What do you do? Offer? What are the tangible benefits you bring to your next role? Are they clear on your LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook? Are there links to your resume and other content? Whenever possible, sprinkle your social-media presence heavily with work-related ROI. You create this bit by bit online. On second thought, it is a Field of Dreams in social-media land. It can be a “build it, they will come” where doors you never dreamed of open.

Photo:  Rosaura Ochoa

As a career coach, I’m lucky to work with a wide spectrum of age groups. Although every single client has an interesting story and value to offer, I find working with people ages 50+ particularly fascinating. Part of my interest is in their different attitudes on aging as it relates to career – no, life — transition.

Are you old or older?

Last year, I had three clients with whom I coached on career transition. All had been downsized out of their jobs. All were exploring next steps.

At the time of our work together, Maria was 59. She said she wanted to continue working in her field as a systems analyst. We prepared career marketing documents, and coached around her job search. Just three weeks into her search, Maria told me she had decided to retire. She said, “I fear I’m growing old and beginning to look and feel it. I don’t want to be 59. I want to look young and be young. I’m not. I would give anything to turn back the clock.”  Maria doesn’t accept her age. She’s consumed with regrets, and it’s getting in the way of her enjoying her current life. More importantly, it’s getting in the way of planning her future.

Beverly, age 63, is a downsized educator. We updated her resume and coached around interviewing. She’s planning a trip to South Korea, where she will be teaching English. She told me, “The experience of working in a different culture in another country keeps me energized and excited. Every day is a new surprise. It’s very different from my old work environment.”

Yet another client, Henry, 76 and downsized from his second career in sales, shared, “I keep my eye out, but I’m not sure if there’s a job fit for me right now. If that’s retirement, I’m fine with it. I always have things to do. I stay active. I ride my bike and hit the gym five days a week. I’ve got a zillion projects in my workshop. And next week I start classes at the community college.”

Beverly and Henry accept their age and view themselves as vibrant adults. They are constructive, full of life and optimistic about the future. Maria is stuck.

Accept or reject?

Of course we all know that we have no choice but to age as long as we’re on this side of the grass. And I won’t deny that having a positive attitude toward aging and the shape your life’s work will take often requires a sense of humor and the ability to not be influenced by the barrage of mass media messages trying to convince you that beauty and youth go hand-in-hand. Last week, I saw an ad that said “Who doesn’t want to look half their age? Face it; a fresh younger appearance is a hot commodity.”

But really. What’s the point of looking 30 when you’re 60? How sad it is to keep struggling for an image that is no longer you, rather than appreciating and accepting who you are now. In an era when these media messages zap us from all directions, we need to remind ourselves that no matter what our age, we all possess a unique loveliness.

Find your inspiration

How does one grab and keep that positive attitude toward aging? I don’t have a crystal ball, but I believe that having champions who motivate helps with any goal. With aging, my own personal inspiration was Helen, whom I knew through an international association of women dedicated to education. Helen passed a few years ago at the age of 95. During the five years prior to that, she accomplished a life-long goal of her own – to visit every single one of the seven continents. She did it. In her 90s. Not on a group tour but singly traveling with her sister. After each trip, she gave a program for our group, complete with her take-aways on culture and the people.

I’ve some ideas on other ways to boost attitude on aging.

• Read books about people who have achieved success later in life.
• Seek out volunteer opportunities in the community, including libraries, schools, churches, the arts, or cultural organizations.
• Find role models in your town who are living full, rich, productive lives in their senior years. Talk to them. Listen to their stories. Take and use what inspires you.
• Take a class in something you always wanted to learn.
• Stay active. I recently started a yoga class where the age runs from 50s to nearly 80. Delightfully motivating and invigorating.

Whether we are determined to stay in the workforce after _ (you pick the number) or retire at _ (ditto), isn’t aging really a process of becoming and continuing to meet life’s challenges and enjoy life’s glories? Beverly and Henry certainly are!