Career Hub

What Keeps Recruiters Up at Night?

At the Kennedy Recruiting Conference I attended some interesting presentations and - of even more value - had the chance to speak with a number of recruiters, both internal and external. One theme that cropped up over and over is - even given the current economic downturn and relatively high unemployment -  the challenge of finding good candidates.

Despite sophisticated applicant tracking systems, countless job posting opportunities, recruiter sourcing through social networks, and enormous data-finding capabilities, recruiters still have a hard time finding enough candidates and the right candidates for specific jobs. What this means for you, the job seeker:

• Be specific about your expertise. Vague, general overviews don't tell recruiters enough about you to conclude that you have what they need.
• Be visible in your areas of expertise. Attend and speak at professional association meetings. Write articles and blog postings. Comment on others' blogs. Share your expertise and your opinions... and let the recruiters find you.
• Research where your expertise and interests might lead you. For example, if you are a clinical practitioner (maybe a nurse), have some knowledge of hospital technology systems, love to travel, and are eager to move away from direct patient care, you could have a satisfying and lucrative new career as a technology implementation consultant to healthcare systems. Bottom line: look for needs that intersect with your knowledge, experience, and personal interests, then find companies that respond to those needs.

One disturbing trend I noticed is the continued preference for passive job seekers. There is still tremendous bias towards those who are employed and lingering beliefs that "the best people don't get laid off." Having worked with extremely talented professionals who were, in fact, affected by corporate downsizing, I know this is nonsense. Plus, there are so many reasons that an individual might be unemployed that using this as a recruiting criterion seems extremely silly.

My final thought about recruiting: It needs a shot in the arm from the marketing department. In fact, successful companies need to market themselves to future employees just as seriously as they market their products or services to consumers. Yet most HR people are not marketing oriented, and despite the ubiquitous trend toward employment branding, most companies don't invest the resources and talent necessary to make their recruiting function as vibrant as their marketing area. Those that do make the investment will reap the rewards - a more talented, more engaged workforce that creates and supports a winning culture.

Posted by Louise Kursmark

When the Going Gets Tough, Turn to Friends at Work

These days I'm searching for news and stories on the Web that inspire hope, optimism, or at the very least, healthy coping.

In tough times, many of us are tempted to withdraw, turn inward, and freeze. I have yet to meet a person who thinks this feels at all good.

The CareerDiva Eve Tahmincioglu has some sage advice on how to see our coworkers as allies in the war against job and economic uncertainty. First step: drop the paranoid view that in today's employment climate you can't afford to get close to coworkers.

The way to reduce your stress is to reach out and connect with people. Invite someone you'd like to get to know for coffee. Talk about what you're worried about and what you can do now to prepare for possible layoffs.

Camaraderie, a "spirit of friendly good-fellowship" according to my online dictionary, is needed in our workplaces now more than ever. What will you do to connect with the people you work with?

Posted by Heather Mundell

Survival in These Troubled Times

Listening to NPR's On Point this morning about unemployment survival, one of the callers, Anonymous, happened to be a woman who's nine-months pregnant and as of this morning, lost her job. The panel of experts offered her some suggestions.

If you have lost your job (this morning or seven months ago), have no money, no savings, and don't know where to turn, here are four resources you may find of value to help you get started in the career transition process:

www.doleta.gov/usworkforce/onestop/onestopmap.cfm

www.careeronestop.org/

www.findlegalhelp.org

www.jobhuntersbible.com/jobhunting/index.php

If there's a particular site, source, or resource you've found especially helpful during these troubled times, please share your tips and thoughts. It may be just the thing someone needs to know or hear about this day.

posted by: billiesucher

Does your boss listen to you?

 A question posted on the MarketingProfs.com forum that I regularly contribute to asked about what to do with what sounded like a narcisistic boss. Here were my thoughts;

Unfortunately situations like this are not as uncommon as you might think. Sounds like your supervisor is either inexperienced or has been trained in the old management model of control and fear.

Short of leaving to find a better situation and assuming you are not alone in being dealt with this way here are some thoughts:

- find someone with longer tenure who works or has worked in the past for this supervisor. Did they find similar things happening? How did they deal with it?

- what are your supervisors expectations? Do you know in detail what your key performance indicators (what you are going to be judged on) are?

- if she is prone to passing the buck, hate to say it but make sure you cover your butt just in case things get ugly. After she has outlined what needs to be done and you have agreed what she needs to do to help you do that confirm it in an email with dates for completion etc.

- if she is being insulting then you need to call her on it. Tell her that you do not feel that is necessary and you do not appreicate it.

- start networking internally to find another position working for a leader not an unconscious incompetent.

Do you have some other ideas? Let me know in the comments.

Or raise your Google ranking and at to your online personal brand by checking out the full thread of the discussion at MarketingProfs.com by clicking HERE and adding your own "toonies worth"

If You're SO Good, How Come Your Resume's SO Bad?

Earlier today, I received a phone message from a caller who offered this:

A recruiter just said these words to me: If you're so good, how come your resume is so bad? Apparently, the recruiter had gone on to say to the caller that he was having a hard time figuring out the candidate's resume story.

Is your resume working for you, or against you? Is your resume helping you generate interviews or is it hurting your chances of getting hooked up with a potential employer? Are you making it easy for someone to get you and your story, or are you making it hard for yourself to get noticed in a sea of talent?

Small things. Big things. Details. Things you don't even know that you're doing can get you ruled out and the bad news, sad news for you is this: you don't even know it! You don't even know that time and again your resume gets passed over by what you don't say, by what you don't include, by what you don't express. Therefore, it is no surprise that you can't and won't get noticed by virtue of what you are and aren't doing. Here's a quick exercise you can do as a self-check of your resume:

Take a look at your existing resume document, then ask yourself these five simple questions in a matter of five seconds - GO!

1. Will the reader know within one second my name and how to get in touch with me?

2. Will the reader know within one second my target goal?

3. Will the reader know within one second why I can do the job I say I am interested in doing?

4. Will the reader know within one second where I'm currently working (or most recently worked) and my bottom-line contributions and career successes?

5. Will the reader know within one second the nature and extent of my education?

Stop! Time's up -- your five seconds are over. Did you pass go? Are you in or out, from the reader's perspective? Even if you allot five seconds per question, the point is, your resume reader doesn't have a lot of time to devote to figuring you out. Maybe they're overwhelmed with other resumes, e-mails, information, text, paperwork, documentation, meetings, and who knows what else. What can you do to make the reader's life less complicated, not more complicated as it pertains to you and your resume story?

posted by: billiesucher

The X Factor: How To Avoid Losing Your Job

I’m not a huge fan of reality television or talent shows in general, but for some reason, I do enjoy Simon Cowell’s The X Factor TV show - the UK equivalent of American Idol.

It’s the usual talent show format - members of the general public audition, get selected to perform in front of a live TV audience and one by one, the public vote and eliminate one person each week until there’s a winner who receives fame and a multi-million pound recording contract.

Last weekend saw the surprise elimination of 21 year old Laura White – a talented singer tipped as one of the favourites to win the overall competition. It was quite a shock. Such a shock that it was even discussed in the UK Houses of Parliament by the Culture Secretary earlier this week! And in fact, Daniel Evans who was by far the weakest singer left in the competition, amazingly survived. Based on singing ability, even a partially deaf person would realise that Daniel, should have been exited from the show.

But this is the X Factor. Members of the public vote to keep you in, not based on who is the best singer, but on who they feel most connected to. Laura was voted off, not because of a poor singing performance, but because of poor marketing and poor branding.

The same point applies to keeping your job during the current spate of restructuring and redundancies. It’s not just talent and ability that will keep you in your job - you also need to be able to market yourself to your internal audience.

I’m no expert on the music industry, but with my career management hat on, I can speculate as to why Laura was voted off and how the same points relate to you and your career during the current downsizing activity:

1. No clear personal brand

Simon Cowell told Laura a couple of weeks ago that she had something missing - that she needed to work on her image. He was right. But it wasn’t just about how she looked - her overall personal brand was not distinct, not clear and so, despite her amazing singing ability, she did not have wide appeal.

This same point applies to you. It’s not enough to be talented in your job. Your personal brand - the way you are viewed by senior leaders, internal and external clients will be a key factor. And it’s not simply about what you wear. It’s the unique value you bring to your employers in terms of your personality, your values and your personal style combined with the results you deliver.

What are you doing to manage your own personal brand to ensure you stand out and protect your job?

2. No story or emotional connection

Based on talent and ability, Daniel (the weaker singer) should have been voted out weeks ago. But he has stayed because he has a personal story that connects with large sections of the target audience. In his first appearance on the show he told how the death of his wife had encouraged him to pursue his dream of singing. Every time he sings, he is singing for her. He’s willingness to share his story helped the audience connect with him at a personal level – and so a large proportion of the public continue to vote for him – even though he is not the best singer.

Other singers in the competition also have personal stories which the audience connect with. Laura didn’t have a story - and so not enough members of the public empathised and connected with her at a personal level to vote in the numbers required to keep in her in.

In the information-overloaded, time-poor world we live in, stories are what a target audience connects with: authentic stories that resonate with people at an emotional level.

The same applies in your work place. Senior leaders and decision-makers may know what you do - but do they know who you are? Do they know your story? Are they emotionally connected to you enough to be able to fight your corner when it comes to redundancy decisions?

3. No Tribe

Seth Godin, the marketing author and speaker, talks about the critical importance of telling stories in order to build a following or “tribe.” Barack Obama developed a tribe that connected with him and his story. They spread he’s story like a virus which made the tribe bigger and bigger. He’s tribe voted him into the White House.  Daniel on the X Factor had a tribe who connected with him and his story. In fact, in recent weeks he developed an even bigger tribe courtesy of a campaign by the BBC radio DJ Chris Moyles to keep the underdog in the contest.

So the tribe voted for Daniel and kept him in. Laura had great talent, but didn’t have a tribe and went out.

What about you - have you got a tribe? Have you got a bunch of people in key roles in your firm who will back you and fight your corner, even when you’re not around? People that will vote to ensure you keep your job?

The Best Products, Best Singers and Best Employee Don’t Always Win

As Seth says, success in business is NOT about the best product. The best products do not win - it’s the best marketed and branded products that win. It was a real shame that someone as talented and humble as Laura went out so early in a competition she was earmarked to win. It’s a shame when really talented, hard working people get laid off whilst less talented individuals remain employed.

But one thing Laura will have learned is that in today’s world, whether it’s in the pop industry or any other competetive industry - ability and hard work are not enough. To survive in your job in the current market, you need a distinctive personal brand, a compelling story and a tribe. You need the X Factor.

By Sital Ruparelia, Cross Posted on the 6 Figure Career Management Blog

Is There Anything We Should Know?

The economy may be going through hard times, but there are jobs to be had in Washington DC. The new Obama-Biden administration has posted over 8,000 vacancies - but before you rush to get your application in, take a look at the application form:

The questionnaire includes 63 requests for personal and professional records, some covering applicants’ spouses and grown children as well, that are forcing job-seekers to rummage from basements to attics, in shoe boxes, diaries and computer archives to document both their achievements and missteps.

Only the smallest details are excluded; traffic tickets carrying fines of less than $50 need not be reported, the application says. Applicants are asked whether they or anyone in their family owns a gun. They must include any e-mail that might embarrass the president-elect, along with any blog posts and links to their Facebook pages.

The application also asks applicants to “please list all aliases or ‘handles’ you have used to communicate on the Internet.” 

Now obviously, the reality of political life means that requirements are more strict for these positions than is normal for a regular job, but the article did make me wonder ... How long can it be before companies start to ask for similar information?

I'm in the middle of writing a book on building an online presence, and I had planned to point out that if you participate in forum discussions, particularly on controversial topics such as politics or religion, you should use an alias that bears no relation to your real name.

But what if companies start to ask for those aliases as part of their hiring process? Does that mean you should consider just saying nothing on the Internet? Or at least nothing on any subject that might bother someone?

It seems to me that this isn't feasible - especially for those entering the workforce for the first time during a period when life is lived as much online as offline, where political campaigns organize their supporters through social networking sites and religious discussion takes place on huge and vibrant forums.

I don't know where all this is going, but I do think we're headed for a sea change in how much our employers know about us.

What do you think?

The Big Debate (no that one is over!)

There has been a great debate about personal branding going on over the last few days on several blogs as well a lot comments on Twitter. Geoff Livingston has just posted a follow up to a blog post he did recently I Don't Care About Your Personal Brand (which prompted a very thoughtful post on his own blog by Mitch Joel Why You Need To Care More About Your Personal Brand ) with Rebutting Six Arguments for the Personal Brand.

Well worth following - regardless of which side of the fence you fall - or don't.

Here was my response to Geoff's first post;

" Fair point Geoff and great article that has stimulated a lot of comments not just here and even made a personal brand fan think a bit more. (Full Disclosure - I make a living from helping people identify what their unique skills and attributes are and to communicate them more effectively whilst being themselves = personal branding).

It is always intersting to note that when something rises to a level of mass consciousness - which is where I believe personal branding is approaching then the opposite opinion appears as well. Great for debate and giving people more pros and cons to make an informed choice is always a good thing."

Which in turn prompted me to write "Personal Branding - Is it About to Change?" and then response to his second post:

Geoff

Another thought provoking post to add to the conversation. You have some very valid points regarding personal brands and whilst I refrain from using the word (because I think it has been over used and lost its real meaning) personal branding is about being ‘authentic’ to yourself first and foremost and not creating false images or personas.

I believe that many people were ‘personally branding’ themselves way before Tom Peters wrote about it over 10 years ago. They used it to overcome potential career disadvantages or to maximise what they were good at to advance themselves - perhaps doing it unconsciously a lot of the time but still offering ” a service to the marketplace that’s communicated through visual and verbal communications, as well as the actual product/service experiences.” - ie. doing what they said they can do and producing measurable results.

The interesting shift with personal branding over the last couple of years has been that large corporations are embracing the concept of personal branding as an employee engagement and development initiative and myself and a number of other personal brand strategists are involved in several such programs with F500 companies to help them do that.

Whilst I agree people may not want to work for you just because you ride a Ducati, I would offer to suggest that it might be a deciding factor for someone weighing up whether they want to work with a ’suit’ or a ‘leather jacket’ !

Even you identify that “There is more than a handful of people operating under this masthead, all with their own personal brand identities.” - exactly the reason that other companies are embracing this approach to stand out, perhaps you have been ahead of the curve, or just did not put the personal brand ‘label’ on it until now, but I think its personal branding just the same.

Thanks again for the continued discussion, I look forward to tracking this conversation as avidly as the last."

Cross posted on Refelctions of a Square Peg

A Tale of Two Seasons

This post is for our readers currently in college…

Fall generally finds me in the thick of two different seasons: the on-campus recruiting season for full-time jobs and the “apple season” (my cousins have an orchard where they grow and sell over 85 different kinds of apples). In many ways, the seasons are similar: both generally run from late August to early November, with a peak in mid-September to October. By November, the apples are generally off the trees and offers are “on the table” as many companies complete the majority of their entry-level hiring decisions for the year.

This year, I feel that I am reaching the end of not just a season, but perhaps an era: Wall Street banks will never be quite the same post-reorganization and my cousins have decided that it is time—after almost 70 years—to sell the farm. I’m reminded of a piece Barbara Ehrenreich wrote back in 1985 entitled “How You Can Save Wall Street”:

A free-enterprise economy depends only on markets, and according to the most advanced mathematical macroeconomic theory, markets depend only on moods: specifically, the mood of the men in the pinstripes, also known as the Boys on the Street. When the Boys are in a good mood, the market thrives; when they get scared or sullen, it is time for each one of us to look into the retail apple business.

I am not an economist, and I won’t prognosticate about what this particular season means for the “pinstripe set,” but here are a few observations on the similarities between recruiting and the retail apple business:

Crop condition, valuation, and supply are dependent on climate, market demand, and assessed value—as well as the ability to make projections. Purchasers of large numbers of apples and companies who make a significant number of hires do so in good faith that supplies (or services) that are purchased will be needed later on—and will keep in the interim provided that proper storage conditions are provided. (Like apples, job offers received for on-campus interviews frequently have an expiration date.)

Demand is dependent on the ability to make projections; when there’s less perceived need—there are fewer opportunities to be picked. As can be expected, the number of overall recruiting opportunities is down slightly this year. The National Association of Colleges and Employers recently reported that many employers have scaled back on hiring expectations:

The decreased expectation for college hiring that occurred between August and October was broadly felt across industries. Only government as a sector saw a significant increase in hiring expectations, while manufacturing and professional services remain essentially flat. All other industry categories decreased their hiring expectations for the Class of 2009.

Regardless of what's available, the conditions have to be right for the picking: apple picking and on-campus recruiting are both processes of mutual selection. Just as the over-aggressive job seeker turns off an otherwise willing employer; twisting an apple stem will result in a selection of an under-ripened piece of fruit. The proper technique to pick an apple is to cup your hand beneath the fruit, roll it up gently towards the sky and see if it lands in your hand. If it’s ready, it will come. The same holds true for full-time positions—your chances of a fit increase when you and your prospective employer are both fully prepared to consider working together. If a company can’t hire you now, don’t give up: they may be able to make it happen later on.

This year, expect harvest times to be staggered—hiring will take place on more of an as-needed basis than a calendar-based one, and competition for the prime fruit will be fierce. If you’ve been passed over, assess your skills, enhance your strengths and polish your resume and online presence so that you can be picked when an opportunity becomes available. Once it does, choose what is offered to you carefully: take the time to make sure that the position you are selected to fill meets your needs—and that you can continue to grow with it. (There’s no need to look into the retail apple business just yet, though I do know of an opportunity…)

If there are any lessons to be learned this fall, it is that timing is sometimes beyond our control. If you are in the market for a new position, the best way to get started is to keep growing and to prepare for opportunity when it does come. How will you get ready?

Cross-posted at the Emerging Professional.

What Are You Thankful For?

Last week, I was having coffee with a close friend. I met her several years ago when I was a speaker for a local group. She had called the very next day to say that she'd love to get together for coffee if I'd have time. Probably six or seven years have passed since then and together, we have enjoyed countless coffees, luncheons, laughs and tough talks.

At our coffee and chat the other day, I said "Jane", I need to tell you something. She looked at me quizzically and said "What?"  I went on to say "I just needed you to know how much your friendship means to me -- so thanks for being such a great friend and know that I don't take you for granted." She beamed and said "and you're my titan."

I've thought a lot about that conversation. Maybe it's because I'm a counselor and much of what I hear, at least initially, is what clients don't have, or what they've lost, or what is not going right, or how bad this or that is. As this Thanksgiving season approaches, why not take a moment to pause and reflect upon the things you have to be thankful for and grateful for? Listed below are six professional career-related things that I am thankful for:

* That I have such great clients -- nearly each and every client I have worked with, and for, through the years, has taught me something and has brought much joy to the relationship.

* That I get to play a small part in the life of an individual's continued career success.

* That I get to do a job that I love so very much, day in, day out.

* That I am in an industry comprised of such talented career leaders, coaches, writers, and colleagues who uphold the highest professional standards in delivering services to others.

* That I was invited many months ago by Louise Fletcher to write for Career Hub.

* That I get to read thoughtful comments from you, the readers, both here and in private messages to me, about my blog posts.

To all of you, thank you! For these things, and so many more, I am thankful and grateful. As you plan your upcoming Thanksgiving activities and adventures, how about expressing your thanks and letting someone know that they are your titan?

posted by: billiesucher

Doom & Gloom – What to do about potential job loss

In the past, paralyzed by the present or ploughing ahead?

It is certainly not a great position to be in – either fearful of losing your job or being downsized. I know, I have been there twice myself, once in the last major recession in the late 80’s and the first time from one of my first sales jobs – the whole salesforce of over 200 was let go in one meeting – now that was an experience.

There are usually some immediate reactions when the axe falls or is about to fall and these are all normal human reactions to what is a stressful time – so here are some thoughts and actions to take that will help:

1.Help more, judge less

With so much negativity floating around it is easy for that to rub off and you start to judge people and make negative assumptions about them and even wish them ill fortune.

Take the reverse approach and offer to help more, who can you introduce them too? How can you help them with their job? When you genuinely give then it will come to you as well as you seek out help and assistance.

One of my continuous actions is to help – particularly those who are going through what I have, if there is any way that my experience and learnings can help others avoid or minimize what might happen to them I am there to offer that guidance.

2.Focus on the future

I know I hear you saying – well that’s easy to say and a lot harder to do. Absolutely. But when it all boils down there really is nothing you can do to alter the past, it is gone, happened, you cannot change it – it’s history. However you can certainly affect the future and your place in it, so spend your energy looking forward. I am sure this current crisis offers way more opportunity than we are being led to believe – we just have to believe it ourselves.

3.Take responsibility

Can you honestly say that everything you did and said were right? Probably not, so take some responsibility for your behaviour. Even if the downsizing’s I experienced could not be avoided, there was probably things that I could have done differently that might have had some influence, so I take responsibility for that and try to ensure that it does not happen again. . One lesson I learnt after my first downsizing was always have an up to date resume and to go interview once a year – for practice and to know my market value, so when the second time came I was ready and taking action.

4. Seek learning

There are always lessons to be learned even in adversity, the most successful people have usually had hardship and failure many times over before finally getting it right. My second downsizing taught me that I needed to leverage what I was good at and to make a complete career change and I ended up in medical devices and ultimately National Sales Manager of a biotech company – with no degree and no science qualifications.

5. Expand reflection

It is a fine line between positive peer support and the misery club so you have to be extremely careful. But getting together with like minded people in a similar situation can help with recovery and faster action moving forward. Collectively learning and supporting can be a powerful combination if handled right.

6. Watch your temper

I know I was angry the first time I was downsized, the package was generous which helped cushion the blow but bottom line was my ability was being questioned (or at least I thought so at the time). Don’t overact – take time to cool off and reflect, it is nearly always a sound business decision and a cost of doing business that things have happened the way they have, its usually never personal – so don’t get angry and make it so.

7. Know when to speak

Sometimes saying nothing, even if you are correct, it might be the right thing to do – it could be a bad news meeting where you are surviving (for now) or in your termination meeting, or even at an interview with a prospective new employer – do not think just “am I right?” – but also “is my contribution going to help the situation or the people involved?” - Sometimes not and better to be silent.

Does Your Personal Brand Matter?

An interesting post at The Buzz Bin touched on some issues I've been thinking about for a while. In "I Don't Care About Your Personal Brand,' Geoff Livingston outlines why he opposes the idea of developing a personal brand. His post is aimed at people working in the online space, but his points apply to anyone. You should read the whole thing, but this is the part that caught my eye:

3) While personal brands are concerned with themselves, the market is also concerned about itself.

4) The market doesn’t care about the persona, only what value the persona contributes to the larger community.

This gets to the core of why I have never jumped on the personal branding bandwagon, despite having flirted with the idea for a while. In the end, I'm much less interested in having my clients focus on their 'brand' than on the value they can add to potential employers. Value-added is simple, direct and focused on the employer. Personal branding is something broader (to be sure value-added is a part of it, but not the only part) and seems to me much more focused on the individual.

In order to pinpoint a client's value proposition - exactly how he or she will help the company succeed - I  use many of the same approaches as a personal branding consultant, but the focus is different - not the self-indulgence of me (the candidate) but the outward focus of they (the employer).

For a long time, I attributed my reluctance to jump on the personal branding train as something related to my background. As a Brit, I'm always a little uncomfortable with anything that smacks of taking oneself too seriously. But after reading Geoff's post, I see that it's not just that.

It's this:

24) A personality oriented brand does not necessarily equate to successful results.

It's the fact that results (and actions) matter. Results and actions tell me what you will do for me. Results and actions tell me whether or not you will add value to my organization. Results and actions show me who you are much more effectively than any carefully crafted public image.

I know that many of my colleagues disagree (and many of the Career Hub bloggers will definitely disagree!) but for me, a focus on results will always be more effective than a focus on brand. After all, all products and services have brands, but how many of them deliver what they promise?

My personal favorite is my bank Chase, who tell me that 'the right relationship is everything' and then constantly leave me on hold for hours while they try to figure out why my online banking has gone awry one more time, leaving me yelling "THIS ISN'T THE RIGHT RELATIONSHIP!!!" as my blood pressure soars once again.  But they do send me the occasional Starbucks gift certificate, with a very nice message about how much they value my custom, so I guess that's supposed to make it all OK ;-)

I can't help wondering how much better they would be if they stopped spending money on branding experts and fancy loyalty programs and instead invested that money in actually adding value to my life.

And in the end, that's my point. Instead of worrying about personal brands, I think people need to think about results and value-added. I expect many of my colleagues will point out that these are not mutually exclusive ideas and I agree - but that would be to miss the point. I know that in some cases, with the right candidate and the right personal branding coach, a person's 'personal brand' will be built around the results they have achieved, but I think the idea of 'personal branding' leads to the same problems with people as it does with businesses - a focus more on the message (the right relationship is everything) than on actually getting stuff done.

Let's face it, if you can show that you have delivered great results and made a big impact on prior employers, you really don't need to worry about packaging it in a pithy branding message. It will be obvious to everyone.

And if, like Chase, you haven't ... well a nice brand message might open some doors for you, but eventually people will figure out that there's nothing there.

Cross-posted at Blue Sky Resumes Blog

Play the Kevin Bacon Game to Land the Job You Want

I was listening to jobradio.fm the other day and heard some great practical tips on leveraging your network to land your next job.

As you may know, Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon was a trendy game in the last decade in which the players tried to connect any film actor in history to Kevin Bacon as quickly as possible and in as few links as possible. The Bacon number of an actor or actress is the number of degrees of separation he or she has from Bacon, as defined by the game.

All the rage on college campuses in the early 1990s, this trivia game is a variation on the famed "Six Degrees of Separation" concept widely popularized through exposure in the play by John Guare and adapted for the big screen in 1993 (featuring a stellar cast including Stockard Channing, Will Smith, and Donald Sutherland). According to this concept, if a person is one step away from each person they know and two steps away from each person who is known by one of the people they know, then everyone is an average of six "steps" away from each person on Earth.

The idea actually has some pretty solid support and research behind it, such as an ABC Primetime investigation that verified it is a small world after all and a study by Microsoft researchers that examined records of 30 billion e-mails among 180 million people in various countries and found that any two strangers are, on average, distanced by precisely 6.6 degrees of separation.

What exactly does this mean for you? It means that you really can in all likelihood use networking to zero in on a valuable contact that will help you successfully conclude your job search, and you can probably do it in far fewer than 6 steps. After all, you are probably not trying to reach the Queen of England or the Pope--just someone who works in your field of interest or at a company where you would like to work.

So how does one play the Kevin Bacon Game to land a dream job? We all know by now that networking is one of the most effective ways (if not the most effective way) to search for employment. The Kevin Bacon strategy encourages us to think outside the box when considering who is in our network, to leverage that network to the utmost, and build on it.

Here are 3 key rules that will greatly expand your network horizons and help you to achieve success in your networking efforts:

>>> Look outside your normal network. Consider people such as your hairdresser, mechanic, doctor, manicurist, pharmacist, etc. who know a lot of people.

>>> E-mail everyone in your address book with specific information on the job you want. Ask each person to identify at least one person they know in your field of interest (or if possible who works at a company that interests you).

>>> Once you have made a new contact, never fail to ask "Who might you suggest I speak with next?"

You'll be surprised at how rapidly your network will expand, and amazed at the unlikely sources from which good job leads will flow.

Posted by: Laurie Smith

Is it about to change?

It is interesting to note that as something becomes more popular and many more people talk, write and with technology now everything else online about it that debate about it's pros and cons escalate. Obama versus Hilary and then Obama versus McCain a case in point.

So is the case with personal branding. When I first started over 5 years ago looking at the subject there was very little out there - certainly on the web - save for Tom Peters article - Brand You - a few books and William Arruda over at Reach, whom I connected with very early on and got involved in his first ever certification program.

Now never a day goes by without the term coming up multiple times on Google alerts, Twitter, etc etc.

When I talk to a prospective client for personal branding I want them to make an informed choice, it is certainly not for everyone and so they should weigh up the pros and cons of personal branding. That is why I liked the current debate going on prompted by an initial post over at Buzz Bin by Geoff Livingston - I Don't Care About Your Personal Brand and then a thoughtful post by Mitch Joel over at Twist Image - Why You Need To Care More About Your Personal Brand. both posts have prompted a lively continuing conversation and debate.

The events of this week have highlighted that lively debate about opposing views stimulates greater engagement and involvement and that makes us all a little more informed, whether you think you are a brand, or not. Thanks Geoff and Mitch for the conversation.

Cross posted on Reflections of a Square Peg blog

The Language of Career Management

If you are a job seeker, perhaps you're spending a lot of time, energy and money in equipping yourself with 21st-century leading-edge career management strategies and best practices. Do you ever feel overwhelmed in trying to learn all the stuff there is to know about the career business? Do you feel like you're trying to learn a whole new language and not much of it is making sense, yet?

Imagínese y soñe. Piense grande. Comience pequeño.

Considere las opciones. Descubra. No dé para arriba.

Sea persistente. Búsqueda. Hallazgo. Posibilidades y opciones.

Cualquier cosa es posible. Resultados asombrosos. Felicidad.

Gratitud. Sonrisa. Muestre el aprecio. Hoy. Mañana. Siempre.

Just like the text above, maybe you can read it and maybe you can't. Maybe it makes sense and maybe it doesn't. For some, learning career tips, tricks, and tactics is much like learning a whole new language. At first, maybe you can't figure anything out; it's all gobbledygook. But the more you learn and discover, the more things seem to fall into place. Piece by piece, word by word, bit by bit, sooner or later, the career puzzle begins to fit together and take shape. You figure out a word here, a line there, and voila, you begin to get it.

No matter how you say it, spin it, or speak it, there's no better time than now to learn the language of the career management business to help you move forward in this competitive, volatile, ever-changing 21st-century workplace. Buena suerte.

posted by: billiesucher

Are you perfect?

Just went to this You Tube video from a Twitter recommend by Guy Kawasaki - really has changed my whole thinking about the day. It explains what drives Tiger Woods to continue to want to improve - the pursuit of perfection. The scene setting is a little long - but worth the wait for the last 30 seconds - awesome

Cross posted on Reflections of a Square Peg

The Boss is Always Right

A sales rep, an administration clerk, and the manager are walking to lunch when they find an antique oil lamp. They rub it and a Genie comes out. The Genie says, 'I'll give each of you just one wish.' 'Me first! Me first!' says the admin clerk 'I want to be in the Bahamas, driving a speedboat, without a care in the world.' Puff! She's gone.

'Me next! Me next!' says the sales rep. 'I want to be in Hawaii, relaxing on the beach with my personal masseuse, an endless supply of Pina Coladas and the love of my life.' Puff! He's gone. 'OK, you're up,' the Genie says to the manager. The manager says, 'I want those two back in the office after lunch'

Moral of the story: Always let your boss have the first say.

Gratitude: The Biggest Ally In Your Job Search

If you have a warm home, a soft bed, food in the fridge, clean clothes, family and friends – then you have a lot to be thankful for. Two-thirds of the world’s population would think they’d won the lottery if they were in your shoes. If you have a college education, own a car, a phone and have internet access then you’re far more privileged than about 90% of the people on the planet.

Keep that in mind the next time you find yourself complaining about the state of the economy, the job market and your prolonged job search. No matter how bad a day, week or year you’re having, you’re still in a pretty privileged place right now.

This is far more than a ‘you gotta stay positive’ message. Developing the right is the foundation of your job search - without it, you will struggle to get back into the right job in the current economic climate.

Gratitude doesn’t magically change the situation you’re in. It does something much more important - it changes your perspective on your situation in a way that gives you an instant lift. A mini boost in confidence.

When you’re job searching, the feel good factor and “little boosts’ in confidence are what you survive on. Seeing your perfect job being advertised, meeting a new contact with a job lead or being invited for a job interview are the types of fuel that keep you going on your worst days.

The problem with fuelling yourself only on these external events is that they are out your control. So how you feel, will be determined by events in your environment.  You have good days when there is ‘good news’, bad days when you don’t. A far more productive way to operate is to give yourself a regular ’shot’ of confidence and feel good factor by choosing to be grateful on a day to day basis. By doing so, you instantly change your own emotions and give yourself the mental and emotional fuel to accelerate your job search.

It’s so easy to sit around with a ‘poor me’ attitude in the current climate. Aside from making you feel worse, it also slows down your job search. So instead, start developing a habit of being grateful for what you have, for what is going well. It will start to build your level of mental and emotional fitness which in turn will absolutely speed up your job search.

By Sital Ruparelia, Cross Posted on the 6 Figure Career Management Blog

Halloween Accessories

You know one thing that is really scary? Being suddenly out of a high-paying job with the expensive lifestyle that goes with it and having no great resume to use in a job search. I thought anew about resumes when I heard the NPR coverage of the planned Greenwich Village Halloween Parade. Costumes were all about the impact on individuals of the sudden drop in the stock market and the failure of banking and investment institutions.

Someone was going as Mrs. Lehman. Others were going as the suddenly unemployed. In past years the costumes included the ubiquitous Wall Street Journal tucked under the arm. But now - you guessed it - they held their resumes in their fists!

What are resumes? The symbol of the unemployed looking for work? Yes, but increasingly they are the embodiment of the person's personal brand and salient career highlights and are continually updated, whether the person is actively job seeking or not. They manage to do in ~2 pages what it would take hours to convey in conversation. They represent the individual, for good or for ill.

Do they use a boring stock format? Contain errors? Come across as a tedious listing of jobs and responsibilities (an "obituary resume")? Or are they truly a reflection of a dynamic person and a vital career?

The resume still makes a difference as the front of the wedge that opens the way for real face-to-face meetings with employers and recruiters. So to all the trick-or-treaters dressed to reflect this current economic picture, may some of your tricks be a strong resume and cover letter and some of your treats be job interviews! Happy Halloween to all!

Stand Up, Stand Out!

I love to practice interviewing with clients! And mostly, I love to see the confidence that emerges when the client knows they're ready to hit the streets. Take earlier this week, for example, when a client was struggling with the FAQ, Tell Me About Yourself. We had practiced several times and for the most part, we were getting nowhere fast. On that, we both agreed! :-)

Stand up, I suggested.

You want me to stand up?

Sure, why not?

The client stood up...now what?

Now I would like you to think about the PAVES strategy.

The what strategy?

PAVES -- bear with me...I am not making this stuff up!

P is for posture

A is for attitude

V is for voice

E is for eye contact

S is for smile

Our session continued and the client's FAQ responses were noticeably improved. I asked him how he felt about his presentation and he quickly quipped these three things:

1. I feel more confident standing up.

2. I sound more knowledgeable.

3. I think better on my feet.

If your interview practice isn't going the way you'd like, consider practicing your presentation standing up. Then, at the real deal - when the interview counts - you can stand out, sitting down!

posted by: billiesucher

It's Getting Scary Out There!

It's certainly become apparent that the world has changed over the past few weeks and for many it has become a concerning and worrying time.

I have had several conversations with good friends and associates in the last few days who have come out on the wrong end of what's happening. I have been there twice myself in previous cutbacks and would not wish it to happen to you so here are 7 steps to take to make the most of the current climate:

1. RECOGNISE REALITY
The Ostrich approach is not going to work this time, regardless of whether your job or company looks threatened, the chances are someone you know or work with has been. Plan for the best and be prepared for the worst.

2. USE THE OPPORTUNITY
It's happening anyway so what is the best outcome that you can make from the situation? Where are there gaps that can be satisified with what you have to offer.

3. REINVENT THE VALUE
What you had to offer 3 months ago might not apply now. Take stock of your target audience, how have their needs changed and what can you do to still offer value to them?

4. LOOK FOR ALTERNATIVES
You might have gone through this type of time before - what did you learn that time that you could pass on to others? Where else might your skills be needed, where before they might not have looked at you?

5. HAVE EMPLOYMENT FLEXIBILITY
Needs must and what might not have been a good offer or opportunity previously might now be the only option. It may only have to be for the short term.

6. USE AND HELP YOUR NETWORK
The number one rule in networking is to give - now more than ever. It's the worst networker in the world who only ever calls you when they need something. Reach out and offer to help in any small way, it will be remembered and come back to you.

7. REINFORCE YOUR BRAND
Remind yourself of what your unique promise of value is, your strengths and best skills and make sure you are doing everything to communicate that effectively to the people that need to know.

Cross posted on Reflections of a Square Peg

Job Search Success: A Matter of Luck? - Part 1

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us….” So begins Charles Dickens in A Tale of Two Cities, set during the tumultuous French Revolution. Some would say we are experiencing similarly tumultuous times with the economy in disarray and job seekers attributing their chances of job search success to luck.

But what is job search luck after all? Is it really random? Certainly being in the right place at the right time matters; however, you do have to be out there networking (off line and online) and making contact in the “right places” to get noticed. There are other elements important to job search luck. The first element of L-U-C-K follows; subsequent posts will cover three more.

L – LEARNING
Learning comes in many forms. For example, there is continuous learning in your occupational field and industry to stay up-to-date and competitive. Learning about job trends and career management / job search techniques makes you savvy and speedy in making your next career move. Then there is learning from your  mistakes which, by the way, is necessary for growth!

One more form of learning that is vital is learned optimism, a term coined by Dr. Martin Seligman and promoted in his book Learned Optimism: How to Change Your Mind and Your Life. Being optimistic and having a positive attitude will invigorate you and your job search with energy and effortlessly attract others to help you.

Here are some additional sources to generate positivity:

• 5 Ways to Make a Positive Attitude by Phil Gerbyshak in his Make It Great! blog. Phil’s 5 simple ideas are one way to get started building positivity in the face of daunting negative input from the world around you.

• Check out Gretchen Rubin and The Happiness Project which chronicles her year-long research into happiness for her upcoming book of the same name.

• Learned Optimism Test adapted from Dr. Seligman’s book by Stanford University. Take the 48-item online test to see just how optimistic you are.

• What Makes Us Happy? 20-minute video presentations at “The Pursuit of Happiness” TED conference in 2004.

Lifelong learning is a non-negotiable element in improving your job search luck. Think of it as a developmental tool for your career success that you continually need to sharpen and use. Bottom-line: companies do not hire dinosaurs (as in old knowledge or skills) or sour pusses!

Part 2: Understanding your assets (next installment)

Cross-posted at Career Goddess Blog

Choose Your Own Adventure

Interested in exploring new opportunities but feeling guilty due to employment declines from Wall Street to Main Street? Do you dare disturb the universe by imagining what could be—if only you knew what it was? Are you wondering if the sky is falling—and if your employment prospects are tumbling after?

Pull yourself out of a “Chicken Little” moment with Alexandra Levit’s book How Did You Score That Gig? This slim tome of wisdom provides you with a slick strategy to choose your own adventure—as well as practical advice from others who have done it before.

Don’t have time for reading an entire book? Take the quiz at the beginning of the book and you’ll land in one of seven personality categories: are you an adventurer, a creator, a data head, an entrepreneur, an investigator, a networker, or a nurturer?

Flip to the category that suits you best and read up on the positions that may align with your personality style; Ms. Levit presents 60 “hot jobs” determined by an online survey of 20’s and 30's somethings. From actor and fashion designer (“creator”) to art curator and criminologist (“investigator”), she profiles successful executives in each category, and presents career trajectories and tips for breaking into the field.

Restless or determining a non-fit? Move onto another section and explore the alternatives.

Whether you’re looking for a new opportunity and not sure what you’d like to do, or if you’ve identified where you want to go but don’t know how to get there—this is a great way to jump-start your search. Packed with resources, career tips and insider insights, it’s easy to use. (So simple, in fact, that I recommend this format to the folks over at the Department of Labor who produce the Occupational Outlook Handbook--they'd be well advised to take a lead from Ms. Leavit in the next biennial redesign.)

For more information, check out How Did You Score That Gig? and the author’s Water Cooler Wisdom blog.

By Chandlee Bryan, Cross Posted at the Emerging Professional.

The Secret To Success In A Downturn: Choosing Your Reaction

“We’re all f****d!”…… “We’re screwed…”…..”It’s all over”

That’s a series of statements I’ve heard in recent weeks when talking to people about their career prospects over the coming year.

Whilst the statements reflect the level of anxiety and nervousness caused by what we have seen in the financial markets, the banking sector and the economy in recent weeks, they are based on the (false) belief that your level of success is solely reliant on what happens in the environment. That you and your career are merely pawns in the events around you.

The truth is that your success is based on how you choose to REACT to what happens to you and the environment around you - not on what events do to you. Over the coming months, you have two broad choices to make - are you going to act or are you going to be acted upon. 

a) Choose To Act

- You can decide not to be totally absorbed in all the bad news
- You can choose to seek out your own news by learning about the changing needs of your employers, your internal and external clients and the market place
- You can decide to focus exclusively on the outputs and the value you bring to your employer (and future employers) instead of just the inputs
- You can choose to be nimble and open-minded enough to modify, re-package, re-title and re-invent yourself to fit the changing needs of the market place
- You can choose to volunteer for tough projects, solve problems which have no obvious solutions and so make yourself irreplaceable
- You can choose to unlearn old behaviours and discover what is required to succeed in coming years
- You can choose to be proactive about cultivating and strengthening your network internally and externally
- You can choose to view every set-back in your job search as getting you closer to your goal
- You can choose to invest in yourself by reading widely, finding a mentor, hiring a coach or finding a new peer group to learn from
- You can choose to use the current market conditions as a catalyst for personal change. To really think about what is important to you; what it is you really want to do over the next few years
- You can choose to listen to your gut instincts instead of your ego
- You can choose to have faith and belief in yourself to deal with whatever comes your way
They’re all your own choices….

b) Choose to be Acted Upon

Or alternatively you can choose to be acted upon:

- You can decide to watch and listen to all the bad news stories
- You can choose to talk and think constantly about problems to the stage where  you are a paralysed into inaction
- You can decide to complain and blame the economy, the government, your management team, the head-hunter and your neighbour’s cat
- You can choose to coast along as normal and ’see what happens
- You can decide to retreat, keep your head down and hope things turn out fine and that you’ll be OK

Which of the two reactions do you think is likely to make you more successful?
Which reaction is likely to make you feel good about yourself?
Which reaction is likely to make you a better person for others to be around? 

You and I know that all markets are cyclical.  But our careers and lives are also cyclical - just like the four seasons.  While some people may feel like they’re heading for a winter period in their careers, you can still be successful.  It just requires you to work smarter, be flexible and to take some significant action. Actions which will help you develop new skills, strengthen your character and position you well for the next ’spring’ season of your career which, just like the climatic seasons, always follows winter.

Ultimately your level of success over the next 12 months will not be determined by what happens in the economy. Your overall success will be determined largely by how you choose to react to what happens to you and the actions you choose to take. Choose wisely….

By Sital Ruparelia, Cross Posted on the 6 Figure Career Management Blog

Conversations...to be continued...

According to Dictionary Online, one of the definitions of the word courage, a noun, is:

The state or quality of mind or spirit that enables one to face danger, fear, or vicissitudes with self-possession, confidence, and resolution; bravery.

The last few weeks, I've had countless conversations with clients about courage.

Courage in the face of job loss. Courage in trying to keep your small business afloat. Courage in a workplace of uncertainty and unrest. Courage to go to work every day when your new boss won't acknowledge your existence. Courage when your supervisor tells you they wish you'd quit so they wouldn't have to fire you.

Courage to live each day with an optimistic outlook and a good attitude. Courage to call the recruiter. Courage to make an appointment to talk with a career counselor. Courage to go back to school. Courage to leave a job you hate and start a business that you think you'd love. Courage to speak up for yourself. Courage to ask for a raise when people all around you are losing their jobs. Courage to share information about the brand you, with confidence and grace and style. Courage to fill out the online application. Courage to tell your partner that you need them to go back to work to help out with the pile of bills.

Courage to let your adult children know that you're struggling and need their love and support now, more than ever. Courage to tell your client that you don't have all the magic answers, but together, maybe you can figure some things out.

And so, the conversations continue...

posted by: billiesucher

Turn Your Job Search Complaints into Opportunities

I just finished reading Jon Gordon's book The No Complaining Rule. According to Jon, people complain either because they feel fearful and helpless or because it has become a habit. He goes on to state that "Complaining can be a gift if we use it correctly. Once we know what we don't like, we can decide what we do like and act on it. We can use complaining as a catalyst for positive change." There are a lot of things to complain about in a job search. It can be a frustrating process. Here are some common job search complaints and some strategies for implementing The No Complaining Rule to move past them.

My resume isn't working. When job seekers don't get interviews, they often blame the resume. While it's true that an achievement-driven resume helps position job seekers for interviews, the resume is just one piece of the process. If you are complaining about your resume, examine how you are using that resume and change your behavior if necessary. If your primary method of search is posting on job boards and you aren't getting results, start building meaningful connections with the people who can hire you rather than the people who are parsing the resume data. Create a proactive plan to target companies that you would like to work for where you believe there is a good fit and approach them directly, whether they are actively recruiting or not. Every company recruits at some point...build relationships now so you are considered as a candidate when an opportunity presents itself.

No one in my network can help me find a job. Why is that? Have you spent the last 15 years talking to the same 3 colleagues or have you extended your networking efforts to include friends, family, school alumni, past colleagues, members of professional organizations, community service providers, and members of online networking communities? Not everyone can help you in a job search and you need to have a robust network so you are not relying on the same 3 people for introductions.

I interviewed for a position and I haven't heard back about next steps. Take the initiative to follow up on your own. This doesn't mean leaving dozens of voicemail messages or sending multiple emails. Become top of mind by sending a reminder of the value you could bring to the team. This might be a relevant article, information about an industry event, or an acknowledgement of something you read about the company recently.

It takes so long for the companies to make a hiring decision. Get used to it. While we would like to think that we are the #1 priority for hiring authorities, we often aren't. General business issues, workplace snafus, and shifting priorities can all effect when the hiring decision is made. Deal with it by reaching out periodically to communicate that you are aware that they haven't made a decision yet but you continue to remain very interested in the position.

The person who interviewed me doesn't seem to "get" what I do. If your first interview is with a human resources professional, that person may recruit for several functions across the company and not know all the nuts and bolts of what you do. They may still represent a bridge to the next round of interviews, so keep an open mind and a positive demeanor. Generally, HR is looking for cultural fit and your ability to work well in a team, so be sure to have several accomplishment-focused stories to demonstrate these competencies.

What other job search complaints do you have and how can you use complaining as a catalyst for positive change?

Posted by Barbara Safani

Can You See the Forest for the Trees in Your Job Search?

I've always been one to draw analogies from real-life experiences and link everyday scenarios to career-management challenges and efforts. Now in my second year of graduate school at a liberal arts university pursuing a master's in humanities, I followed the suggestion of my advisor (while meeting degree requirements) and am pushing the envelope with a class in the science discipline. There, with just one other humanities major, I am surrounded by pretty intense (and knowledgeable) math and science majors. The class is Forest Ecology. Not to be cute, but I came into this class totally green, a novice when it comes to nearly anything related to the physical sciences (with the sole exception of meteorology: I'm a buff for any- and everything weather-related, especially the study of hurricanes, my lifelong passion). Trees? Ecosystems? Species? I had rudimentary knowledge at best, my only qualification being I live on a woodsy five-acre parcel in a rural community. And I like trees.

Halfway into the semester with a challenging mid-term exam now behind me as well as two exciting field trips, it occurs to me that much of what I'm discovering relates well to the world of job seekers. According to Chad Oliver (a present-day silviculturist), there are five classes of "crown dominance" in any given forest, called stand development: Emergent, Dominant, Co-dominant, Intermediate, and Suppressed. What are known as lollipop diagrams are useful in depicting their spatial relationship to one another. I won't dwell on that, but relating it to you and your job-search efforts, the similarities became clear to me.

At the highest spatial level within a forest, the emergent specimen reigns supreme above all other classes in the canopy--it's that lone white pine you see against a canopy of hardwoods and conifers marching up a mountainside in Vermont. It's the job seeker who is really out there advancing her candidacy, taking solid initiatives in creating networking opportunities, ensuring she is vetted as a candidate for as many positions as possible that match her interests and qualifications, following up on all leads, social-networking on professional sites (twitter, linkedin, ziggs, zoominfo, etc.), developing 90-day business plans, managing relationships.

Dominant species are those high-achievers among the tree stand in the forest. They're the light-seeking specimens that have optimized their growing space, fully able to extend their crowns. Folks in this realm are masterful at seeking opportunities and maximizing those that are presented to them--they stand out among other candidates for their accomplishments and know how to effectively promote themselves.

Co-dominant describes those specimens that compete well with others at the top of the canopy--able to garner their share of available nutrients, light, etc., but are limited physically in growth at the sides of their crowns. In job-seeking, this candidate knows there is competition for the best available opportunities. He knows how to leverage his resources, tap recommendations from those with the greatest spheres of influence, and really make inroads through consistent search practices. But perhaps this candidate isn't fully tapping into every resource out there and maybe isn't making all the connections he could to advance his search efforts.

Moving spatially into what's known as the forest midstory are the two remaining types. Intermediate describes those specimens, ecologically speaking, that have comfortably found their own place beneath the upper-most canopy, they are shorter and they, too, are restricted in their growth--both with regard to height and width. In a hardwood stand, for instance, this might be the shade-tolerant maple under a hardy, light-seeking array of dominant oaks. In job-seeking, I'd relate this example to the individual who maybe isn't as motivated to make a change (clearly someone who is currently employed, possibly underemployed, but not so miserable as to be aggressively trying to climb to the upper canopy in terms of visibility). This steady performer is content on some level to exist with other, more aggressive candidates tracking down and successfully killing the best job opportunities--and willing to take longer to 'maybe make a change.'

Finally, we have the suppressed trees. As the name suggests, these poor guys are being crowded out by everyone else in the mid- and upper stories of the forest stand. They're not happy where they are, but are definitely limited through space, resources, etc. Their crowns are completely overtopped by all adjacent trees. Underachieving might come to mind, but it's not always deliberate. However, using survival of the fittest as a metaphor, and linking this to job seeking, suppressed candidates probably aren't going to win in the game of optimal job search. They're not adequately promoting their strengths, defining their value proposition, and making a place for themselves where they can emerge as truly viable candidates for the best opportunities.

Where in the forest of job search do you see yourself?

Posted by Jan Melnik.

Top 10 Tips to Recession-Proof Your Career

Whenever you are asked if you can do a job, tell 'em, 'Certainly I can!' Then get busy and find out how to do it." -Theodore Roosevelt

Now is the time to take on extra responsibilities on the job and move out of y