Description
A simple primer to make your job search easier. Simple and creative principles to make your job search easier.
Presentation StoryboardingTM
Special Report By ThoMaS Sechehaye
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Who would you trust?
Whether You’re A Seasoned Job Hunter or Just Starting Out, You Can Get Fast Results With…
Ask yourself…who would you trust more: A doctor who has performed heart surgery and has a first hand map of how everything works…or a doc who does surgery while reading a list of written instructions? Who would you trust to build you a new house? A carpenter who is working with architectural blueprints…or one who just shoves his elbow through the wall? Hmm-Tough question. I bet you’d go for the surgeon with experience and a proven map. And you’d pick the professional carpenter with certified blueprints. I sure would. And I’d do the same thing for planning any job search.
“The 5 Secrets To Boost your Job Search In a Recession”
“Systemize your Job Search — Get More Interviews and Land a Great Job Fast - In a Tough economy”
Hi I’m Thomas Sechehaye. Searching for a job is a bit like heart surgery plus home building all rolled up together. It’s intense. It’s personal. It’s stressful if you don’t have a plan.
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For a guaranteed approach to finding a job, you have to see where you’re going. To see where you’re going you need a map. But not just any map. You want a proven job search blueprint and a methodology you can trust. And for that, this field-tested Job Search Blueprint is exactly the system you need. I know that now. After 32 years of coaching individuals and consulting Fortune 500 companies. But I didn’t always realize just how important this was. You see... things were not laid out so clearly when I got started in Germany in 1972. I want to tell you a personal story and share the 5 Secrets to Boost Your Job Search in a tough economy. I’ve learned the hard way. Although your background is different from mine, I am sure you will find job-hunting tips that will cut your job searching time in half. You’ll learn how to write a killer resume and get your resume picked from a stack of hundreds. You will discover how to prepare and how to ace any job interview. If you don’t have time to read, you can start now and find the job that’s right for you. Just use the action blueprint at the end - and then come back and have a good read. But I think you’re going to enjoy reading this Special Report and learning how to find the job that’s right for you - especially in this challenging time.
Find timesaving tips and visual blueprints so you will know exactly what to do and what steps to take to get fast results. Now, I recommend you print out this entire report - so you can highlight key ideas as you go along. So, get yourself a good cup of tea or coffee, and let’s jump in.
When I Was First Starting Out
When I was a young newbie, just starting my career, I felt ashamed at my lack of business skill. I had no clue about how to market my skills. I had no clue about resumes, interview strategies or presenting myself. I was a trained therapist after all! I expected people to come to me. I expected therapy centers to come to me. It never occurred to me that I would have to look for work. And a strategic approach to job seeking…well, the concept hadn’t even crossed my mind. I craved the respect that other professionals were getting. I had professional training and skill, but my job search strategies were embryonic. I was determined to not let that stand in my way. Even then, I was stubborn and committed to make myself better by learning from the best. I had a Masters of Art from the Munich Academy of Art so it was easy to make my first brochure.
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My plan was to get professional advice by showing my little brochure to a mentor and leader in my field. I went to one of my teachers, VJ, a legend in therapeutic community and head of a world recognized drug treatment center in Holland. Up until this point, I’d studied therapeutic techniques with him, oneon-one. But this time I asked for a special interview on job search practices, outside of working hours. He agreed to see me. I can still picture him now. Sitting in an old red leather chair behind his long well worn wooden desk… surrounded by books and drawings. Looking so wise. He was gruff, yet seemed willing to help someone just starting out. He politely looked at my new brochure and finding nothing positive to say, he started rummaging through his desk drawer. He pulled out some dusty papers and pushed them across the table. It was his early flyers and brochures. As he showed me, I was shocked. To my classically trained artist eye, all of his brochures were disgusting. I mean it. Really awful. Hard to read. Whacky colors. Just a mess. It just went against everything I’d learned in art school. I tried to be polite and waited for him to explain.
He told me that he knew what I was thinking. That made me sweat. He told me he knew I thought his brochures didn’t look like much. And that I felt they weren’t up to my artistic standard. In a considerate way he pointed out that I must not be ready to hear how self-promotion really worked. And I must not really be hungry enough to land a job. “Maybe sometime in the future,” he said, taking back his papers. And handing back my original brochure. I was bewildered. What was I missing here? Could bad brochures work? How is it even possible? Was this true when he started? Surely things were different and the world of job seeking had new rules. Was he just pulling my leg? He did have a reputation for being mysterious. So I thought perhaps this is some kind of Zen stick approach. But this odd meeting did prove to be a turning point in my grasp of strategic job hunting. During the interview, as he was rummaging in his drawer, I noticed a little sign on his desk, carved in wood. It said, “Make The Non-Logical Choice”
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“Damn right” I thought. Obviously logic was not taking me by the hand and showing me the way. I felt in a complete gap. Seeing this sign, I decided that this gap was the perfect place to begin. I started doing what the sign said. “Make The Non-Logical Choice.” First off, I put my draft brochure in a drawer. “Who needs brochures anyway?” I thought. Instead, I wrote my name and phone number on post-cards. And I hand-wrote an offer for a “FREE consultation… good for one month.”
at the neighborhood restaurant down the street. I gave postcards to anyone who would take them. At the time, this was a complete stretch for me. I was a rather quiet and introverted German. And I was against any kind of egoinflating, self-promotion. So, you can imagine how hard a time I had giving these little cards away! And little by little, the phone started ringing. Then, I gave FREE sessions. And guess what? People liked them. They told their friends. They came back. This time they paid. And then they paid for more. Their friends came. Their neighbors came. They brought their husbands and wives. It just kept on flowing. As I was doing this, a therapeutic community in my neighborhood started forming. I went there and guess what? They had already heard about my work. And they invited me to join their staff. All from one illogical choice. But I still wasn’t satisfied. I knew there had to be more… So I started reading everything I could on job hunting, interview skills and self-promotion. And there are some good books, tapes and trainings on this topic. Some had nothing to do with my profession of coaching and consulting, but many had ideas that I could apply.
I Gave Services For FREE !
That’s right…for FREE. This was unheard of at the time. No one was doing this. I gave post-cards away to everyone. And I mean everyone. The postman. The guy at the gas station. The folks at the beer garden. The guy who cut my hair. The waitress
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I started putting my art background to work once more. I made blueprints and road maps to plan my job-hunting efforts. Systematically.
Click here to go to page 26 “Start By Giving Blueprint”
Again, this choice was illogical. My blueprints didn’t look like anything anyone had ever seen. And my process was a wild blend from my art background with therapy, marketing and strategy. So I kept going…all the time thinking about that little sign I’d seen on VJ’s desk.
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Plan Your Job Hunt Strategy In Advance
Secret #1
Secret #1:
Plan Your Job Hunt Strategy In Advance
As I made these early blueprints, I realized that the power is in the planning. It’s not in the specifics of the job search efforts that create success. Sometimes one thing works. Sometimes this very thing bombs. The power of a plan is not the content of the plan. The power is in your focus. With a blueprint and a job-search roadmap, you have a consistent focus. And no matter what obstacles you encounter, you can reorient and stay on track. When things get tough, you don’t drift around for hours, days or weeks. Instead, you work your plan. You won’t fall into the swamps of sadness and self-pity. Unlike many job seekers, you’ll have strength, confidence and conviction. And this is precisely what employers and recruiters respond to. This is not a little thing to notice.
I say this because it took me years to realize that the power is in the planning. All the job search books I’ve seen do not talk about this. They focus on specific resume writing practices. They emphasize specific systems to review and distribute your resume. They pitch services to get you in front of recruiters. But they do not focus on how to build a blueprint to find the job you need. These career search and job search services swoop right past the power of a visual plan. I know you may not have the same background, experience and schooling that I have. And so, I want to share this little miracle method with you. I’m sure it will help you get clear on the job you want. And this will help you focus your job search to get fast results. Now, I bet your burning question is, “How Can You Do This FAST?”
How Can You Do This FAST?
The absolute fastest way to do this is to grab a piece of paper and a pencil. I urge you to do this right now. Don’t wait. The pen or pencil can be anything, just so
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Plan Your Job Hunt Strategy In Advance
Secret #1
long as it writes and you can jot down your ideas. Make a laundry list of everything you can think of to spread the word about your unique skills. If you and I were sitting over coffee, we’d sit down and talk. But since you are reading this, let’s do a quick and simple brainstorm and make a list - together. Think of all the offers you get in the mail. Think of all the offers you get by phone or email. Consider all the special deals, free information, free reports, white papers, newsletters and information marketing you receive online. Now ask yourself: What can you send to potential companies, employers and recruiters to get them thinking about you and your skills?
Click here to go to page 27 “Turn Offers Into A Personal Gold Mine blueprint”
This is a non-logical approach to job hunting. Usually we think about what we must bring to the table. And we don’t think about what’s going on for the hiring manager we are pitching. Remember, job hunting is not the same as sales. It’s a lot more like marketing. Marketing is getting the word out. It’s finding a way into peoples’ attention. Inside the very protected space of their mind. And once you are in their minds, you have a chance to share your valuable skills. But you may be wondering…
What Must You Know?
Think of VJ’s little wooden sign. “What is the most illogical choice you can make?” Is it sharing some information that has really helped you? Is it offering a service or product that made all the difference in your life? What you really need to know is this: giving is the secret key. Giving is how you will help the most number of people. Zig Ziglar, a brilliant motivational speaker is often quoted, “You can have
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Plan Your Job Hunt Strategy In Advance
Secret #1
everything you want if you help other people get everything that they want.” How can you help other people get what they want? Sure you want a job. But how can you help the people who will hire you get what they want? Focus on this and you will find the essence of your successful job-hunting message. You are marketing yourself. You are a caring and committed human being. You are a skilled and trustworthy employee. You are the exact answer to their prayers. Of course, once you make a promise, you need to keep it. And you will need to continue making this promise in your cover letter, resume, interview and follow up communications. You will need to make it in how you dress, move, speak and present yourself. And naturally, you will need to have the skills to keep this promise once you get the job! But perhaps you’re also curious about that little sign and my interview with VJ: What did he mean by showing me those atrocious brochures? I’ve thought about this a lot. And my feeling is he wanted me to see what I was doing in an entirely different perspective. I was looking at the design, font and color. I didn’t think about what the viewer…his client…would respond to.
Remember, VJ’s first clients were junkies and hard-core drug users. Over time he expanded to this core group to include what he used to call, “healthy neurotics.” They responded to his in-your-face style of information. It worked. They came. They called. They walked in. He had a phenomenally full practice. And the fact is, your potential hiring manager most likely will not be on drugs. But you still need to understand what he or she finds attractive. You want to find the style, tone and feel that works like a magnet. You want to offer your skills in a wrapping that is the magnetic attraction factor for your next boss. What works for your next boss…works for your job search. If your recruiter or new boss responds to an aesthetic, style or choice of language that isn’t how you speak to your friends…what will you do? Unless you are living off a trust fund, and don’t really need a job, I think the answer is clear. Your resume, your clothes, and your message need to match what your new boss will respond to. This goes all the way down to how your resume looks and feels: color, font, keywords and overall layout. It includes everything you wear at your interview: business dress for business meetings.
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Plan Your Job Hunt Strategy In Advance
Secret #1
Everything adds up to a message: you, your dress, your body language, your word choice, resume, people skills, timeliness all send a message. And this message must be attractive to your interviewer.
Click here to go to page 28 “Body Language Secrets Blueprint”
But how can you possibly know this in advance? Do you need a crystal ball? Here is a fast way to find out exactly what your interviewers are looking for.
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Find Out Precisely What Companies Are Seeking
Secret #2
Secret #2:
Free Time At The Bookstore
Books. Industry Magazines. Journals. Newspapers. Find out what your potential employers read. Check out the hiring manager online. You can use a search engine and social networking sites. If you have mutual contacts in a company or industry, find out what they read. Which bestsellers are they browsing through? Watch. Look. Listen. And pick up the same things. As you begin reading, make note of what you feel, think of and assume. Step into the mindset of your hiring manager. What are they looking for in this book, magazine or industry journal?
Click here to go to page 30 “Research Guide blueprint”
Find Out Precisely What Companies Are Seeking
Move Into 224 Baker Street
This address may ring a bell. It is the London home of the great detective Sherlock Holmes. While fictional, Sherlock Holmes is a profound inspiration for strategic thinking. He is a master of observing small details of habit, preference and manners in order to determine the bigger patterns. You’re trying to solve a mystery right now. Put on your sleuth hat and get out a magnifying glass about your potential employers. What are companies really looking for? To do this, you’ll have to jump in with both feet. You have to stop thinking about your own situation, needs and desires. And start thinking like them. Study companies, hiring managers and interviewers. Get inside of their minds. From this place, you’ll be in a unique position to understand what is really driving their hunt for the perfect employee. You will get at the heart of what they want. Let’s start with reading…
Get familiar not just with the news and trends in these magazines and journals. Get into the language they use. Special words. Acronyms. Key phrases. Buzz words. Learn the lingo. It might be quite different from how you speak or think. Start to make this language your own home ground. Get familiar and at ease with the language your clients are using. And the next best place to do this is when you’re talking with them.
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Find Out Precisely What Companies Are Seeking
Secret #2
Get Curious About What People Say…
What words do they use? Look on their website. Go to industry blogs. Examine their annual reports. Pay attention in interviews and casual meetings with people in your industry. What are common phrases or terms that are unique to your audience? This is all going in the basket of company intelligence. You have to understand the mindset and language of your hiring manager in order to create a resume and message that will reach them.
have time to study, read, observe and track. I need a job at the very latest by the end of the week!” I understand. I know how tough it is to try to make time out of your crazy busy job search to do marketing research on the mindset of your hiring manager. So here is the simplest and fastest way to get the information you need. It’s called, “ASK.” I don’t have a fancy acronym system for this. I just mean, ask people in this field. Ask people you know in the field. Ask family. Ask former and current colleagues. Ask people in your target market. Tell them you’re doing research. Tell them you’re writing an article. Tell them you’re taking a survey. And in fact, it would be great if you actually did all those things… writing an article, developing a free report or taking a survey. Do these things and then shared the information with hiring authorities you interview with. And here’s the interesting thing that I have found again and again…
Record Patterns and Track Over Time
Keep a record in your journal to track the patterns you see. Over time, check how often you hear certain themes appear. What are people in this company and industry concerned about? What do they want to achieve? And how can you help them achieve their goals? Over time, you’ll see a pattern emerge and this will help you shape the best message to exactly match the language and preferences of your target employer.
The Best Way To Do This, Most of the Time
But maybe you’re thinking…”Hey, I needed a job yesterday! I don’t
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Find Out Precisely What Companies Are Seeking
Secret #2
Give Them What They Want
Kind of a no-brainer, wouldn’t you say? Once you’ve done all that research…use it. Give people what they are asking for. You’ll have a calendar booked with job interviews. Hiring managers, employers and recruiters will feel that you are so special because you understand them! But that’s not all you’ll be doing. It’s a 2-step process. Give them what they want is Part One and Part Two is…
And this is a little like the famous Oreo cookie. You get the chocolate and then you also get the frosting - on the inside. Meanwhile, you’re not working in a vacuum. So all this investigation started you on the right track and is going to keep you heading in the right direction. Because you are going to keep the conversation going with your potential new employer long past the initial contact. Here’s how:
Ask For Input And Get Ready…
Let me tell you a story about the value of ongoing input. This morning I opened the door to find this at work. I belong to a wonderful service, Farm-Fresh-To-You. Every Tuesday morning, I get a box of organic farm fruits, herbs and vegetables delivered right to my door. Getting this box of glowing fruits and yummy vegetables has helped me to cook organically and make untold numbers of delicious meals. I no longer have the excuse of ‘having to go to the store’ standing in the way of a healthy meal. In every box is a one-page double-sided newsletter filled with simple recipes and the news of the weeks…basically, what’s up at the farm. Two weeks ago, Thaddeus, the author of this one-page newsletter, asked a question. He asked all of us to tell him what we’d like him to plant this fall. 13
…And Sneak In What They Need
This is the second and critical part. Because, you and I know, not everyone will reveal the depths of their concerns, issues and problems. Many people want to sail past issues and cover up true needs. Many people do not want to share the root of what they really want. So you may have to be a little sneaky - but in a good way. You’ll just use your creative skill to ‘sneak in what they need.’ What they need most are your unique skills, strengths and talents. But since you don’t want to come on too strong or appear desperately anxious for a job, you’ll have to sneak this in.
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Find Out Precisely What Companies Are Seeking
Secret #2
Hint: This is a simple and straightforward way to check-in and stay in touch with hiring managers. Ask them how they would like to build the future. In today’s newsletter, Thaddeus reported that he was thrilled with the tons of responses and was gathering up all the suggestions. This is a very easy and practical way to get feedback and guidance from hiring authorities. It’s free input from people - whether they hired you or not. They can still be helpful in telling you what will make a difference in the next interview. And now just imagine. All the produce customers are invested even more. For example, I wrote in and asked for more watercress. I even asked for my favorite kind of Nantes carrot. And I bet the list is quite long and interesting from all the other customers. We’re already paying for the box. But now we are more committed. Now we are invested in the future harvest. I bet that there will be a lower rate of people signing out of the program. No one is going anywhere…except to the door on Tuesday morning to check what’s in this week’s box. This is something I’ve seen over and over. People love to give advice and offer input. Make use of this in your job search. You’ll have a sure-fire formula for finding out precisely what hiring authorities are truly looking for in your industry.
While this method is direct and uncomplicated, it works wonders. Everyone is involved. People feel part of the process. They are excited to share their ideas. They feel part of a community. People like to help. And especially in these turbulent economic times, people want to lend a hand. These are all ingredients for success. And once you start hearing from hiring authorities, you’re in a very special position. You’ve got inside information to use to get the word out about your unique skills. Let’s take a look at how this 3rd secret can help you get the word out:
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Describe Your Skills So…Nobody Can Resist Calling You
Secret #3
Secret #3:
Describe Your Skills So…Nobody Can Resist Calling You
Use What You Just Found Out
All this research is going to hold you in good stead. You’ve just determined what hiring managers want and how they talk about it. This is gold. Diamonds. Valuable jewels. Imagine the most outrageous valuable treasure you can picture. This is what you now hold in your hands. This is a special treasure trove of insight into your target industry. And it will help you land your ideal job. You’re inside of how employers in your industry speak and think. And you are now in a super unique spot. You are, in business lingo, “uniquely positioned.” Most job seekers don’t think about how their future employers are wired. They are too busy thinking about their own services, skills and their urgent need for a position. Far too many job seekers speak only about themselves - and forget about the company. Their interview is full of “I” phrases. And this is not what you will help you land the job. And it’s certainly not what you will do - in your cover letter, resume or interview.
The truth is: everyone cares about themselves. They do not care about you. They care about what you can do for them. This is why all those “I” phrases have to get replaced with a different attitude. It’s not important if YOU know what you mean. Your employer has to understand what you mean. They have to know what your skills mean to them. It’s not what you say. It’s what your employer hears. Say that over and over again. Just like a personal motto. It’s not what you say. It’s what your clients hear. And you want hiring managers and recruiters to hear only ONE thing. You want them to hear the words that are irresistible to them. Now, I’m not sitting next to you. But if I were, we’d take out your journal. The one with all the commonly used key phrases, insider lingo, and core industry themes. The one with all the research you’ve been tracking. And we’d get to work to build a message that describes your skills so that nobody could resist picking up the phone and booking an interview. So let’s roll up our sleeves and do this now. It’s quick and simple process.
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Describe Your Skills So…Nobody Can Resist Calling You
Secret #3
What’s Inside The Cookie?
This is exactly where the 2-step process comes in handy again. Give them what they want and sneak in what they need. This is true for your professional business interview and it’s equally true for creating a compelling wrapping paper for your skills. You’ve done the research. What core desires, needs and wants are driving your future employers? How will you use this knowledge to shape your message to them? But of course, you’re only going to develop a message about what you absolutely can deliver. Because you want a successful interview and a successful job experience! So you must provide a no-nonsense, no-headache, and absolutely ethical description of what you can do. And the clearer your promise, the more attractive you will be to employers. You will attract your ideal job: The job where you can put your strengths to work, where you are respected, well paid, and rewarded for your input. The kind of job where you smile when you go to work. So that brings us to the big question…
What Is Your Promise?
What’s your unique and compelling promise? This is what people see and recognize instantly as YOU. There’s no question about it. It’s your innate strengths and your one-of-a-kind, unique contribution.
Click here to go to page 31 “What Makes You Irresistible? blueprint”
Keep working at this until you come up with it. You don’t have to do this in isolation. Ask people around you. Ask colleagues. Go over reports and reviews from earlier jobs. Revisit quotes and testimonials from any previous work or volunteer program. Most often, someone else’s description is a whole lot clearer than the words you use to describe yourself. Hint: make sure that your strength-based resume and skills contribution is something you stand behind. It excites you. It’s energizing and gives you goose bumps. It’s compelling to you and it’s a compelling promise to your future employer. Now do one more double-check…
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Describe Your Skills So…Nobody Can Resist Calling You
Secret #3
Is It How They Talk?
Don’t write your unique promise to only work for you. The message is a magnet for your employer. It’s going to pull hiring managers to stop what they are doing, and write you an email. To pick up the phone. To schedule a second interview. This message is going to do a lot of heavy lifting for you when you’re not in the room. So make sure that your promise matches the way your potential employer actually talks. And fortunately, writing this message is a lot more like talking than writing a term paper or research dissertation. This is one more hidden gem most job resume experts won’t tell you: Write your message to sound like you just said it. To do that, here’s a simple formula called: KISS
Keep It Short and Simple. You’re kissing! Use this formula to get at a unique YOU message. Develop one that is easy to say and sounds natural. I always feel like after I write this KISS formula, that I have to keep to it. It is so straightforward, that that’s all I’ve got to say on the topic! But here’s why it’s important for you…
Easy To Say…Easy to Remember
Your uniqueness message is easy to say…and so it’s easy for a hiring manager to remember. Think of Job Seekers Blueprint. It’s easy to say and easy to remember. Think of Presentation Storyboarding…it’s easy to say and easy to remember. Think of the tag line for Presentation Storyboarding: The Definitive System to Better Presentations. Easy to say and easy to remember.
Click here to go to page 31 “The Easy Test Blueprint”
KISSing Works Wonders
This is an acronym and it stands for: K = Keep I = It S = Short S = Simple
This ‘easy to say and easy to remember’ is exactly what you must
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Describe Your Skills So…Nobody Can Resist Calling You
Secret #3
do to wrap your skills and boost your job search. Position your uniqueness in a short message that is easy for hiring authorities to remember. Easy to say…easy to remember. You want to be the one candidate they remember. There’s one more thing that you can do to quickly test how your uniqueness message is working. It’s not tons of research…but more like a gut check to see if you’ve hit the target.
How Can You Test Your Theory?
Pick the top 3 jobs listings you want to nail. Write the name of the person you would consider as your top competition. This may be someone from your last job. Write their name on 3 pieces of paper. Put your uniqueness message under their name in your sample job listing. If your unique message could fit under their name, then you have to keep working. But, if you win and it just has the feel, look and sound of YOU… then you’re home free. And now you’re ready to move on to the 4th Secret to A Successful Job Hunt:
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Be The Difference Maker - Find Your Uniqueness In The Market Place
Secret #4
Secret #4:
Be The Difference Maker - Find Your Uniqueness In The Market Place
How To Find Your Place Know Your Market
You’ve been doing a lot of critical research but here’s the kicker question. What makes your skills absolutely unique? Even in a crowded niche. Even in an overloaded market. Even if everyone and their brother is qualified for the same job. How can you define your special unique spot in your market place? Here is the fastest and easiest way to doing this.
Go online. Browse around different sites in your field. Look for what isn’t there. Look for what you would do if you could design the perfect solution for your industry. Keep asking yourself, “What’s missing?” until you find your answer. This is key to unlock the question of how you can stand out in a crowded marketplace. And don’t only look at what’s present right now. Look for more. I’m not saying this is necessarily easy. But it is remarkably powerful. And this single step distinguishes you as a leader and future leader in your industry.
Find The Spot That Can Grow
Explore the very things that could be coming in your industry but aren’t quite there yet. Is there a new trend? Is there a new target population to serve? Is there an emerging need? Tap into what’s coming in the future. From this visionary standpoint, position your unique skills. This will make savvy recruiters stand up and take notice. This is what great companies look for in recruits: visionary leadership - at every level in the organization. This does not mean you are applying for a leadership position. But it does mean you are thinking like a leader - and this is a quality smart companies are always looking for. It makes you the stand out candidate. This is a rare and makes you extremely memorable.
Look For What’s Missing
Notice what isn’t in your field. What’s missing in your industry? What’s missing from the job market you are looking in? If at all possible, take an afternoon off to do this. Go for a walk. Look around as if you just arrived from another planet. Observe from a completely different perspective. And remember you are looking not for what’s already here. But for what’s not there.
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Be The Difference Maker - Find Your Uniqueness In The Market Place
Secret #4
This is the quality a smart recruiter recalls and selects. This may require that you step out of your normal zone. Look at magazines. Scout around in different online neighborhoods. Open your eyes to current and future trends. Tap into your intuitive sense about future needs.
Click here to go to page 32 “The Difference Maker blueprint”
them at what they are so well known for. If they are supreme in data management, let them have it. Position your strength in communication and human relations. Go in a side door. Go for a side aspect that your competitor is neglecting. Promote that. Own your zone. Tap into the un-mined opportunity and go for being the #1 in this area of your unique strength.
Position To Beat
Here’s why. Your number one competitor has already paid for your research. They have shown what the employer is looking for - and most likely this employer is not the only one looking. But now you can position to be better. Show what you will do in the first 100 days on the job. Prepare a Click here to go to page 32 timeline and project plan for how you will manage your workload. Blow your interviewer away Day Blueprint” “First 100 with compelling charts and diagrams.
Now this may lead you to realize that you’re not the only one thinking about this. And your fellow job seekers may have beaten you to the finish line. But there are things you can do even if you feel that your job-search niche is totally swamped with established skilled candidates…
Even If You’re In A Super Tight Niche
Perhaps you are in a super tight niche and there’s one definite #1 candidate who you have to beat. What can you do? Get competitive. First off, get to know your competitor inside and out. Find out what is their unique “difference” in the market. And let them have it. Don’t try to go head to head and beat
In addition, be willing to engage your interviewer. Many of the top candidates use a pencil or marker to sketch out a plan. They do this live, on the spot. This type of active engagement will set you apart from other candidates.
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Be The Difference Maker - Find Your Uniqueness In The Market Place
Secret #4
You are looking for a need you can serve better and faster than your competition. The biggest need you must serve is to help you interviewer remember you. Make this easy and simple. Show a diagram. Share a blueprint. Leave behind a tangible and colorful record of your conversation. You are in a great position. And there’s something else… And there’s something else…
“The ONE Thing That Will Make Your Job Interviews Rock Solid…GUARANTEED”
How To Get A Steady Flow of Interviews
Have you ever been on a river…rafting, swimming or just playing around? You know when the water is flowing, it’s fun to go with the flow. The current takes you bobbing along. It’s fun. It’s fast and it’s no problem to stay floating. But you probably also know what it’s like if there’s been a drought. If the water level is low. You have to watch out. You have to put your feet first, so you can push away from rocks when you need to. Without enough water, you have to pay a lot more attention. You have to be alert. At times it can seem like it’s all rocks and no flow. It’s just like this when you are interviewing for a job. When you have a few interviews - you have to work on getting more. When you have a lot of interviews - you want to keep a steady stream coming. The fastest and easiest way to keep a steady flow of interviews is to have everyone you know help you keep the flow going. Curious how this works? 21
Don’t Laugh But…
This is a lot like that little sign on VJ’s desk so many years ago. “Choose the illogical.” You are in a special moment in time and space. How you choose to make a difference will make a difference not just for your practice. It will make a difference for each and every person you work with. They will have the intuitive hunch just like you did, that they’ve just found the perfect person who understands their creativity. They’ll feel how good it is to work with someone who respects their uniqueness and understands their needs. It feels great to work with people who “get you.” Get your creativity. Your unique bent. Your one of a kind take on things. That’s you! Now there’s one more secret. The 5th of 5 secrets to boost your practice.
© 2009 Presentation StoryboardingTM http://www.presentationstoryboarding.com
The True Secret to Referrals
Secret #5
Secret #5:
The True Secret to Referrals Make It Easy For People To Talk About You
Here are a few things you can give: Give them free services. Give them unbelievable eye-popping reports. Give them a free sample taste of how good your skills are. Make it so delightful that they can’t stop talking about it. And make it easy for them to spread the word.
Click here to go to page 35 “Be Easy To Talk About Blueprint”
And keep in mind that the people who are coming to this event have already been ‘sold’ on your services. Not by you. But by your satisfied colleagues, friends or clients. And here’s one more thing…
I Just Can’t Believe It…
When it feels like: “I can’t believe I’m just giving this away” - you’re on the right track. This kind of extreme giving is where you can really add value. You are providing a service. For your network of friends and business connections. For your recruiter-magnet system. For your future employer. You’re not just giving away information. You’re making the Illogical Choice. You are giving people what they want. And helping them get what they need. You are letting people know the quality they can expect when they work with you. Your over the top performance announces: Expect Excellence. This sets the tone for getting a great job. A rewarding job. A profitable job. I’m sure that this Special Report gives you techniques, tips and tools that can ‘rev up your job search. No matter what your competition,
Send your colleagues free reports. Share news and updates with long-time and new friends. Send free reports to hiring authorities on topics they care about. Invite them to share the report. Create a viral interest with everything you send. Viral spreading works easiest with online reports. Do the same thing by holding talks and mini-workshops for your industry. Invite people to bring colleagues, friends, family and neighbors. This is a powerful ‘exposure’ to a new network, which may include new employers.
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The True Secret to Referrals
Secret #5
environment, or economy. No matter what your skill set or how long you’ve been looking for a job. Even if you just started your job search. You can find a job now. Plus, this is all for pennies. But that’s not all. I want you to get results. And this means you must take action. I have included a set of Action Blueprints to help you put these ideas into action. These blueprints, checklists, and maps are yours to keep and to use. I hope you use at least one job search tip - and use it today. Many people get excited to start a job search. And the real challenge is keeping it going at a constant, steady pace. Continue to read this report, use the blueprints and checklists. As you gain momentum and get more experience in posting your resume, exploring job search sites and interviewing for positions, you’ll find these tips will improve your results. My wish is that you have every success in finding the job you’re looking for. Plus, I’m sure you’ll enjoy the FREE Presentation Blueprints, videos and tips which are yours at http://www.presentationstoryboarding. com/ Because getting strategic in your job hunt will help you land the job you deserve. And once you land the right job, you’ll want to keep your edge by growing brilliant presentation skills.
Please send me an email and let me know what you found most useful in this report. And be sure to send your comments and questions to me so I can answer in the Presentation Storyboarding Blog and in Special Reports. To your success,
Thomas
Thomas Sechehaye The Presentation Storyboard Coach P.S. You owe it to yourself to use these tools to present yourself and get the job you want. Get started today! P.P.S. Make a specific time and date appointment to use each of these secrets. Go ahead and get out your calendar now. You deserve to get fast results! Contact: http://www.presentationstoryboarding.com/
Thomas Sechehaye is a presentation coach and visual strategy consultant for creative professionals. He helps coaches, consultants, entrepreneurs and small business professionals successfully present ideas and services. For instant tools and online coaching to achieve greater credibility, higher impact and instant authority, visit http://www.presentationstoryboarding. com/
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10 Action Blueprints To Boost Your Job Search, Ace Interviews and Get A Great Job - In A Recession
BLUEPRINTS
Table of Contents
Getting Started
1. 2. 3. 4.
Be Non-Logical Blueprint Start By Giving Blueprint Turn Offers Into A Personal Gold Mine Blueprint Body Language Blueprint
Secret #1: Plan Your Job Hunt Strategy In Advance
Secret #2: Find Out Precisely What Companies Are Seeking
5. Research Guide Blueprint
Secret #3: Describe Your Skills So…Nobody Can Resist Calling You
6. 7. What Makes You Irresistible and Unique Blueprint The Easy Test Blueprint
Secret #4: Be The Difference Maker - Find Your Uniqueness In The Market Place
8. 9. The Difference Maker Blueprint First 100 Days Blueprint
Secret #5: Make It Easy For People To Talk About You
10. Be Easy To Talk About Blueprint
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10 Action Blueprints To Boost Your Job Search, Ace Interviews and Get A Great Job - In A Recession
BLUEPRINTS
Getting Started
Getting Started
1. Be Non-Logical Blueprint
Print this sign and post it near where you work. Use this sign as a frequent reminder to think about your choices in a new light, to sense new options and to tap into your core intuition.
“Make The Non-Logical Choice” sign
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10 Action Blueprints To Boost Your Job Search, Ace Interviews and Get A Great Job - In A Recession
BLUEPRINTS
Getting Started
2. Start By Giving Blueprint
What Can You Give Away For Free? Services Consultation Upgrades Taster sessions Pilot workshops Project Cross Promotion Free Trial Of… Who Can You Give It To? • Hint look for people who will refer your business • Hint: look for people who do not provide your service but your service will be of interest to their customers
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10 Action Blueprints To Boost Your Job Search, Ace Interviews and Get A Great Job - In A Recession
Secret #1: Plan Your Job Hunt Strategy In Advance
BLUEPRINTS
Secret #1: Plan Your Job Hunt Strategy In Advance
3. Turn Offers Into A Personal Gold Mine Blueprint
Go through blogs, catalogues, e-mail, physical mail and website offers for several days. Pick out an offer idea you can adapt to communicate your unique services and skills to potential employers. Use this list to jumpstart your thinking about potential communication offers to your potential employers. Mix and match to create a unique offer that will appeal to your industry.
What Can You Give Away For Free? Special Deal Free Information Free Report White Paper Newsletter Video Special Report Evaluation Service Upgrade Referral reward
To Potential companies Employers Recruiters Former employer Your network Social media network
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10 Action Blueprints To Boost Your Job Search, Ace Interviews and Get A Great Job - In A Recession
Secret #1: Plan Your Job Hunt Strategy In Advance
BLUEPRINTS
4. Body Language Blueprint
Top Tips For Body Language In Job Interviews
In job interviews, all your body language and gestures are a critical part of your message. Your interviewer is watching! They are evaluating and responding to your eye contact, movement and ability to relate to them as a human being. Research shows that interviewers remember applicants by the way they make eye contact and move, nearly 600 times more than what they say! People recall an applicant’s presentation from: 7% is the content. 52% if the presenter makes eye contact. 41% how the presenter moves. Your interviewer or recruiter will sense if you are fully present, standing and giving your full attention. Pay attention to your body language as it has a dramatic and instant impact. Use these tips for gestures and body language. Make sure your gestures are and support your unique promise and strengthen your message. 1. Take the body language quiz. Rate your body language during interviews from 1 = poor to 10 = excellent
Is your posture straight? Are your gestures natural and unforced? Are your body movements fluid and comfortable? Does your face display a pleasant expression? Are you smiling? Are you making a connection with your eyes? All of these signal confidence and build rapport with your audience. 2. They eyes have it. Darting eyes make your audience nervous. Staring at people for too long can also make them uncomfortable. How do you decide what’s long enough to look at a person? 3-5 seconds is fine to look before moving on to the next person. Experiment with looking at your interviewer for a full thought. If there are multiple interviewers, then move on to look at the next person. 3. Practice giving your interview both standing up and sitting down. Rehearse so you are equally comfortable with different settings. Your confidence comes through in your ease, personal presence and posture. 4. Keep your hands visible. Keep your hand gestures above the waist. Gestures below the waist look nervous and don’t convey confidence. If you don’t feel comfortable with your gestures, don’t use them. Forced gestures look worse than none.
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10 Action Blueprints To Boost Your Job Search, Ace Interviews and Get A Great Job - In A Recession
Secret #1: Plan Your Job Hunt Strategy In Advance
BLUEPRINTS
5. Watch out for hand gestures where both hands do the same thing. This may look like a windshield wiper and is highly hypnotic. Don’t risk putting your new boss or interviewer into a trance with repetitive hand gestures. All he or she will remember is how distracting your hands were and this can override any of your positive traits. 6. Use the pause. This is the best method for calm delivery during an interview - even if you aren’t feeling calm. Because of nervousness, many candidates start talking before they officially begin. Don’t fall prey to this. If you have informal conversation before your job presentation officially starts, pause. Smile and silently count to three. Then, start your presentation. This is a sign of confidence that will earn respect before you even say your first word. 7. Smile like you just found a quarter. A smile is the best gesture you can use. It not makes you feel more confident, but it also changes the environment of a high-stakes interviewer. 8. Break the habits. Eliminate distracting habits. Record yourself on video. Watch objectively for actions including rocking, swaying, fidgeting, jingling pocket change, adjusting hair, playing with a pen, chewing a pencil, chewing your glasses, fidgeting with clothing or swinging your legs while sitting. Start working to avoid these movements. Pick one habit at a time. 9. Avoid wardrobe malfunctions. Don’t wear a brand new outfit. Standing or sitting in front of a potential new boss is not the time to find out that your shirt won’t stay buttoned. Don’t wear jewelry you are tempted to play with. Wear something tried and true.
10. Dress for business. It will put you in a professional state of mind. 11. Take a stretch. Stretch before you begin your high-stakes interview. Create a set of exercises that work for your body. Focus on how to increase breath calmly and calm your nerves. 12. Take a walk. Go outside before your interview. Breathe fresh air. Move around a bit before you get started. This lets you work off a little nervous energy and prepare to give a focused presentation. Be sure to continue to work with these suggestions as you give more job interview presentations. Develop your personal set of ‘best practices’ so you can ace any interview no matter what.
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10 Action Blueprints To Boost Your Job Search, Ace Interviews and Get A Great Job - In A Recession
Secret #2: Find Out Precisely What Companies Are Seeking
BLUEPRINTS
Secret #2: Find Out Precisely What Companies Are Seeking
5. Research Guide Blueprint
Do the research so you can step into the mindset of what matters most to your next employer.
What are they reading and listening to:
Books Journals Websites Magazines Newspapers Periodicals Industry newsletters Blogs Conference presentations TV Radio Other:
What pattern do you notice:
Key words Trends Buzz words Acronyms News Length of communications Media they prefer Other:
Who else to ask:
People in the field Industry leaders Family Current colleagues Former colleagues Recruiters Competitors Other:
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10 Action Blueprints To Boost Your Job Search, Ace Interviews and Get A Great Job - In A Recession
Secret #3: Describe Your Skills So… Nobody Can Resist Calling You
BLUEPRINTS
Secret #3:
7. The Easy Test Blueprint
Does Your Unique Promise Pass The Easy Test?
Easy to say…easy to remember
Describe Your Skills So… Nobody Can Resist Calling You 6. What Makes You Irresistible and Unique Blueprint
Answer a few questions to make sure your promise is powerful and will pop thru the clutter in an interviewer or recruiter’s mind: What is your big benefit to your employer?
Is it Short? Hint: Short is much easier to recall than long. Is it Simple? Hint: Short words, no acronyms, and short sentences. Easy to say is easy to remember. Is it Absolutely Memorable? Hint: Alphabetize any lists or core competencies: Example: Master of facilitating, presenting and training.
Do they want this benefit?
Are they willing to pay for it:
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10 Action Blueprints To Boost Your Job Search, Ace Interviews and Get A Great Job - In A Recession
Secret #4: Be The Difference Maker - Find Your Uniqueness In The Market Place
BLUEPRINTS
Secret #4:
9. First 100 Days Blueprint
Use these guidelines to build your ‘First 100-Day Timeline’ and impress any interviewer or recruiter. Build this first on a whiteboard or paper chart. Then, decide if you will present this in your interview working live, or in a prepared format. For some situations, you may want to send this timeline after your interview as a record of what you heard in the conversation.
Be The Difference Maker - Find Your Uniqueness In The Market Place 8. The Difference Maker Blueprint
Answer a few questions to make sure your recruiter sees you as unique in the market: What makes you unique?
First 100 Days Timeline
A horizontal organization of information, with time of 100 days along the bottom, and categories along the left hand vertical axis.
What’s missing in your industry?
Point
A first 100-day timeline makes it easy to engage your interviewer and show your grasp of key initiatives, gaps, patterns and deadlines. It positions you as a valued member of your potential employer’s team.
What is the opportunity for growth?
Process
What makes you the best match for this opportunity? 1. Orient in a landscape If you are using a flipchart or whiteboard, turn the paper horizontal. If you are working on a smaller surface, orient the paper so the longest side is on the bottom, in what’s called a “landscape” format.
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10 Action Blueprints To Boost Your Job Search, Ace Interviews and Get A Great Job - In A Recession
Secret #4: Be The Difference Maker - Find Your Uniqueness In The Market Place
BLUEPRINTS
2. Decide on 100-day timeframe. Divide the chart into three segments of 35 days each. Or divide the chart into 5 segments of 20 days each. Make it easy to see the natural sections of your timeline. 3. Leave room so that you’ll have room to write, draw, add, and move ideas around. 4. Decide on the categories you will track. Keep these to no more than five or seven categories. Write and or draw an icon that represents this category on the left hand side. 5. Create flexibility. If you aren’t sure of where something goes, write it in on a note-card or sticky note, so you can move it around. 6. Use the icons for categories. This can help you orient and help you tell the story in a memorable way for your interviewer. The icons create a verbal and visual shorthand method for referring to categories. For example use a “talk bubble” for communications and a “price tag” for costs. 7. Let it rest. Walk out of the room. Walk outside. Take a break. Come back later in the day, or in a few days. Now what do you notice? 8. Ask for input. Get input from a close colleague, friend or peer. Have you left anything out that they notice? Do they see a pattern or cycle that you missed?
9. Look at the whole. As you look at the big picture, are there any stages, eras, themes that you want to add to further fill in your timeline? What do you notice as you see the whole? 10. Decide if you will present this as a live discussion or if you prefer to put this into a PowerPoint or Keynote presentation.
Pitfalls
• Too much detail Does it feel overwhelming? If you find yourself really concentrating on details in one section, pull yourself back. The secret here is use key-phrases and stay in a big picture so you can present the bigger flows. • Too little detail Do you feel that “It doesn’t have enough depth?” If you don’t use the key words and priorities of your new employer, it will be hard to connect in the detail. • Too many categories If you look at the chart and think, “Whoa! This is too much too track!” This is a recipe for disaster. Trying to capture everything can lead to overwhelm and frustration. If you have more than 3-5 categories, cut to the critical few. Combine. Eliminate. Pick the absolute essentials for your timeline.
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10 Action Blueprints To Boost Your Job Search, Ace Interviews and Get A Great Job - In A Recession
Secret #4: Be The Difference Maker - Find Your Uniqueness In The Market Place
BLUEPRINTS
Payoff
• Easy to see patterns Several years ago, Harvard Business review used a colorful timeline to tell the story of the history of business in the United States. This was a radical departure from only black and white text, a colorful timeline made it easy to see themes. You can use the same methods to identify themes, patterns and cycles and present yourself as a productive and valuable employee for your recruiter. • Easy to tell a story Get your 100-day story out of your head. A visual timeline will help you think systematically about how you want to invent the future. • Easy to involve others Interviewers enjoy seeing a big picture and getting involved in a colorful story. Use your skill to engage even the toughest interviewer. A timeline is a powerful tool to build a memorable story of productivity. Enjoy telling stories.
Recall and remember As years go by, all the events can all flow together…just which year was it that “X” happened? A timeline is an excellent tool to remember events, changes, and skill development. Present a project plan as a story A timeline is a powerful visual anchor for telling a story. Plus you can leave the timeline behind and you can count on your interviewer looking at this much more intently than one text-only resume.
First 100 Days Timeline Checklist
? Do you have your paper or slide oriented to a landscape horizontal layout? ? Are you sure about your 3-5 categories? ? Do you have a large title on your chart? ? Do you have easy-to-draw icons to identify each category? ? Are you clear on the phases in the first 100 days? ? Are you balancing overview and detail across categories and time? ? Have you taken a break to include your interviewer and get input?
Practice
Review and reflect Track your own job history along several coordinates at once: career, location, partners, finances and personal themes. Track the history of your business or career. Explore your personal timeline around one topic such as: physical health, finances, stress, or creativity.
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10 Action Blueprints To Boost Your Job Search, Ace Interviews and Get A Great Job - In A Recession
Secret #5: The True Secret to Referrals
BLUEPRINTS
Secret #5: The True Secret to Referrals Make It Easy For People To Talk About You!
10. Be Easy To Talk About Blueprint
Short Story What’s your short story?
How will you share it?
• • • • • • • • E-mail Letters Free Reports Videos Social Media Presentations Workshops Other:
How will you make it easy for your network to share?
• • • • • • • • Links PDF 800 number Free Offer Reward Cross promotion Add Value for their business Other:
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Copyright
Copyright 2009 Presentation StoryboardingTM a division of Hands On Graphics, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, by any means, (electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the authors. No liability is assumed with respect to the use of the information contained within. Although every precaution has been taken, the authors assume no liability for errors or omissions. Neither is any liability assumed for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein. NO WARRANTIES: This booklet is being provided AS IS for informational purposes, without any warranties whatsoever. This booklet is not guaranteed to produce any particular result. Use the information contained herein at your own risk.
Presentation StoryboardingTM
www.presentationstoryboarding.com
© 2009 Presentation StoryboardingTM a division of
Hands On Graphics, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
doc_526201538.pdf
A simple primer to make your job search easier. Simple and creative principles to make your job search easier.
Presentation StoryboardingTM
Special Report By ThoMaS Sechehaye
© 2009 Presentation StoryboardingTM http://www.presentationstoryboarding.com
www.PresentationStoryboarding.com
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Who would you trust?
Whether You’re A Seasoned Job Hunter or Just Starting Out, You Can Get Fast Results With…
Ask yourself…who would you trust more: A doctor who has performed heart surgery and has a first hand map of how everything works…or a doc who does surgery while reading a list of written instructions? Who would you trust to build you a new house? A carpenter who is working with architectural blueprints…or one who just shoves his elbow through the wall? Hmm-Tough question. I bet you’d go for the surgeon with experience and a proven map. And you’d pick the professional carpenter with certified blueprints. I sure would. And I’d do the same thing for planning any job search.
“The 5 Secrets To Boost your Job Search In a Recession”
“Systemize your Job Search — Get More Interviews and Land a Great Job Fast - In a Tough economy”
Hi I’m Thomas Sechehaye. Searching for a job is a bit like heart surgery plus home building all rolled up together. It’s intense. It’s personal. It’s stressful if you don’t have a plan.
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For a guaranteed approach to finding a job, you have to see where you’re going. To see where you’re going you need a map. But not just any map. You want a proven job search blueprint and a methodology you can trust. And for that, this field-tested Job Search Blueprint is exactly the system you need. I know that now. After 32 years of coaching individuals and consulting Fortune 500 companies. But I didn’t always realize just how important this was. You see... things were not laid out so clearly when I got started in Germany in 1972. I want to tell you a personal story and share the 5 Secrets to Boost Your Job Search in a tough economy. I’ve learned the hard way. Although your background is different from mine, I am sure you will find job-hunting tips that will cut your job searching time in half. You’ll learn how to write a killer resume and get your resume picked from a stack of hundreds. You will discover how to prepare and how to ace any job interview. If you don’t have time to read, you can start now and find the job that’s right for you. Just use the action blueprint at the end - and then come back and have a good read. But I think you’re going to enjoy reading this Special Report and learning how to find the job that’s right for you - especially in this challenging time.
Find timesaving tips and visual blueprints so you will know exactly what to do and what steps to take to get fast results. Now, I recommend you print out this entire report - so you can highlight key ideas as you go along. So, get yourself a good cup of tea or coffee, and let’s jump in.
When I Was First Starting Out
When I was a young newbie, just starting my career, I felt ashamed at my lack of business skill. I had no clue about how to market my skills. I had no clue about resumes, interview strategies or presenting myself. I was a trained therapist after all! I expected people to come to me. I expected therapy centers to come to me. It never occurred to me that I would have to look for work. And a strategic approach to job seeking…well, the concept hadn’t even crossed my mind. I craved the respect that other professionals were getting. I had professional training and skill, but my job search strategies were embryonic. I was determined to not let that stand in my way. Even then, I was stubborn and committed to make myself better by learning from the best. I had a Masters of Art from the Munich Academy of Art so it was easy to make my first brochure.
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My plan was to get professional advice by showing my little brochure to a mentor and leader in my field. I went to one of my teachers, VJ, a legend in therapeutic community and head of a world recognized drug treatment center in Holland. Up until this point, I’d studied therapeutic techniques with him, oneon-one. But this time I asked for a special interview on job search practices, outside of working hours. He agreed to see me. I can still picture him now. Sitting in an old red leather chair behind his long well worn wooden desk… surrounded by books and drawings. Looking so wise. He was gruff, yet seemed willing to help someone just starting out. He politely looked at my new brochure and finding nothing positive to say, he started rummaging through his desk drawer. He pulled out some dusty papers and pushed them across the table. It was his early flyers and brochures. As he showed me, I was shocked. To my classically trained artist eye, all of his brochures were disgusting. I mean it. Really awful. Hard to read. Whacky colors. Just a mess. It just went against everything I’d learned in art school. I tried to be polite and waited for him to explain.
He told me that he knew what I was thinking. That made me sweat. He told me he knew I thought his brochures didn’t look like much. And that I felt they weren’t up to my artistic standard. In a considerate way he pointed out that I must not be ready to hear how self-promotion really worked. And I must not really be hungry enough to land a job. “Maybe sometime in the future,” he said, taking back his papers. And handing back my original brochure. I was bewildered. What was I missing here? Could bad brochures work? How is it even possible? Was this true when he started? Surely things were different and the world of job seeking had new rules. Was he just pulling my leg? He did have a reputation for being mysterious. So I thought perhaps this is some kind of Zen stick approach. But this odd meeting did prove to be a turning point in my grasp of strategic job hunting. During the interview, as he was rummaging in his drawer, I noticed a little sign on his desk, carved in wood. It said, “Make The Non-Logical Choice”
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“Damn right” I thought. Obviously logic was not taking me by the hand and showing me the way. I felt in a complete gap. Seeing this sign, I decided that this gap was the perfect place to begin. I started doing what the sign said. “Make The Non-Logical Choice.” First off, I put my draft brochure in a drawer. “Who needs brochures anyway?” I thought. Instead, I wrote my name and phone number on post-cards. And I hand-wrote an offer for a “FREE consultation… good for one month.”
at the neighborhood restaurant down the street. I gave postcards to anyone who would take them. At the time, this was a complete stretch for me. I was a rather quiet and introverted German. And I was against any kind of egoinflating, self-promotion. So, you can imagine how hard a time I had giving these little cards away! And little by little, the phone started ringing. Then, I gave FREE sessions. And guess what? People liked them. They told their friends. They came back. This time they paid. And then they paid for more. Their friends came. Their neighbors came. They brought their husbands and wives. It just kept on flowing. As I was doing this, a therapeutic community in my neighborhood started forming. I went there and guess what? They had already heard about my work. And they invited me to join their staff. All from one illogical choice. But I still wasn’t satisfied. I knew there had to be more… So I started reading everything I could on job hunting, interview skills and self-promotion. And there are some good books, tapes and trainings on this topic. Some had nothing to do with my profession of coaching and consulting, but many had ideas that I could apply.
I Gave Services For FREE !
That’s right…for FREE. This was unheard of at the time. No one was doing this. I gave post-cards away to everyone. And I mean everyone. The postman. The guy at the gas station. The folks at the beer garden. The guy who cut my hair. The waitress
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I started putting my art background to work once more. I made blueprints and road maps to plan my job-hunting efforts. Systematically.
Click here to go to page 26 “Start By Giving Blueprint”
Again, this choice was illogical. My blueprints didn’t look like anything anyone had ever seen. And my process was a wild blend from my art background with therapy, marketing and strategy. So I kept going…all the time thinking about that little sign I’d seen on VJ’s desk.
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Plan Your Job Hunt Strategy In Advance
Secret #1
Secret #1:
Plan Your Job Hunt Strategy In Advance
As I made these early blueprints, I realized that the power is in the planning. It’s not in the specifics of the job search efforts that create success. Sometimes one thing works. Sometimes this very thing bombs. The power of a plan is not the content of the plan. The power is in your focus. With a blueprint and a job-search roadmap, you have a consistent focus. And no matter what obstacles you encounter, you can reorient and stay on track. When things get tough, you don’t drift around for hours, days or weeks. Instead, you work your plan. You won’t fall into the swamps of sadness and self-pity. Unlike many job seekers, you’ll have strength, confidence and conviction. And this is precisely what employers and recruiters respond to. This is not a little thing to notice.
I say this because it took me years to realize that the power is in the planning. All the job search books I’ve seen do not talk about this. They focus on specific resume writing practices. They emphasize specific systems to review and distribute your resume. They pitch services to get you in front of recruiters. But they do not focus on how to build a blueprint to find the job you need. These career search and job search services swoop right past the power of a visual plan. I know you may not have the same background, experience and schooling that I have. And so, I want to share this little miracle method with you. I’m sure it will help you get clear on the job you want. And this will help you focus your job search to get fast results. Now, I bet your burning question is, “How Can You Do This FAST?”
How Can You Do This FAST?
The absolute fastest way to do this is to grab a piece of paper and a pencil. I urge you to do this right now. Don’t wait. The pen or pencil can be anything, just so
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Plan Your Job Hunt Strategy In Advance
Secret #1
long as it writes and you can jot down your ideas. Make a laundry list of everything you can think of to spread the word about your unique skills. If you and I were sitting over coffee, we’d sit down and talk. But since you are reading this, let’s do a quick and simple brainstorm and make a list - together. Think of all the offers you get in the mail. Think of all the offers you get by phone or email. Consider all the special deals, free information, free reports, white papers, newsletters and information marketing you receive online. Now ask yourself: What can you send to potential companies, employers and recruiters to get them thinking about you and your skills?
Click here to go to page 27 “Turn Offers Into A Personal Gold Mine blueprint”
This is a non-logical approach to job hunting. Usually we think about what we must bring to the table. And we don’t think about what’s going on for the hiring manager we are pitching. Remember, job hunting is not the same as sales. It’s a lot more like marketing. Marketing is getting the word out. It’s finding a way into peoples’ attention. Inside the very protected space of their mind. And once you are in their minds, you have a chance to share your valuable skills. But you may be wondering…
What Must You Know?
Think of VJ’s little wooden sign. “What is the most illogical choice you can make?” Is it sharing some information that has really helped you? Is it offering a service or product that made all the difference in your life? What you really need to know is this: giving is the secret key. Giving is how you will help the most number of people. Zig Ziglar, a brilliant motivational speaker is often quoted, “You can have
© 2009 Presentation StoryboardingTM http://www.presentationstoryboarding.com
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Plan Your Job Hunt Strategy In Advance
Secret #1
everything you want if you help other people get everything that they want.” How can you help other people get what they want? Sure you want a job. But how can you help the people who will hire you get what they want? Focus on this and you will find the essence of your successful job-hunting message. You are marketing yourself. You are a caring and committed human being. You are a skilled and trustworthy employee. You are the exact answer to their prayers. Of course, once you make a promise, you need to keep it. And you will need to continue making this promise in your cover letter, resume, interview and follow up communications. You will need to make it in how you dress, move, speak and present yourself. And naturally, you will need to have the skills to keep this promise once you get the job! But perhaps you’re also curious about that little sign and my interview with VJ: What did he mean by showing me those atrocious brochures? I’ve thought about this a lot. And my feeling is he wanted me to see what I was doing in an entirely different perspective. I was looking at the design, font and color. I didn’t think about what the viewer…his client…would respond to.
Remember, VJ’s first clients were junkies and hard-core drug users. Over time he expanded to this core group to include what he used to call, “healthy neurotics.” They responded to his in-your-face style of information. It worked. They came. They called. They walked in. He had a phenomenally full practice. And the fact is, your potential hiring manager most likely will not be on drugs. But you still need to understand what he or she finds attractive. You want to find the style, tone and feel that works like a magnet. You want to offer your skills in a wrapping that is the magnetic attraction factor for your next boss. What works for your next boss…works for your job search. If your recruiter or new boss responds to an aesthetic, style or choice of language that isn’t how you speak to your friends…what will you do? Unless you are living off a trust fund, and don’t really need a job, I think the answer is clear. Your resume, your clothes, and your message need to match what your new boss will respond to. This goes all the way down to how your resume looks and feels: color, font, keywords and overall layout. It includes everything you wear at your interview: business dress for business meetings.
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Plan Your Job Hunt Strategy In Advance
Secret #1
Everything adds up to a message: you, your dress, your body language, your word choice, resume, people skills, timeliness all send a message. And this message must be attractive to your interviewer.
Click here to go to page 28 “Body Language Secrets Blueprint”
But how can you possibly know this in advance? Do you need a crystal ball? Here is a fast way to find out exactly what your interviewers are looking for.
© 2009 Presentation StoryboardingTM http://www.presentationstoryboarding.com
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Find Out Precisely What Companies Are Seeking
Secret #2
Secret #2:
Free Time At The Bookstore
Books. Industry Magazines. Journals. Newspapers. Find out what your potential employers read. Check out the hiring manager online. You can use a search engine and social networking sites. If you have mutual contacts in a company or industry, find out what they read. Which bestsellers are they browsing through? Watch. Look. Listen. And pick up the same things. As you begin reading, make note of what you feel, think of and assume. Step into the mindset of your hiring manager. What are they looking for in this book, magazine or industry journal?
Click here to go to page 30 “Research Guide blueprint”
Find Out Precisely What Companies Are Seeking
Move Into 224 Baker Street
This address may ring a bell. It is the London home of the great detective Sherlock Holmes. While fictional, Sherlock Holmes is a profound inspiration for strategic thinking. He is a master of observing small details of habit, preference and manners in order to determine the bigger patterns. You’re trying to solve a mystery right now. Put on your sleuth hat and get out a magnifying glass about your potential employers. What are companies really looking for? To do this, you’ll have to jump in with both feet. You have to stop thinking about your own situation, needs and desires. And start thinking like them. Study companies, hiring managers and interviewers. Get inside of their minds. From this place, you’ll be in a unique position to understand what is really driving their hunt for the perfect employee. You will get at the heart of what they want. Let’s start with reading…
Get familiar not just with the news and trends in these magazines and journals. Get into the language they use. Special words. Acronyms. Key phrases. Buzz words. Learn the lingo. It might be quite different from how you speak or think. Start to make this language your own home ground. Get familiar and at ease with the language your clients are using. And the next best place to do this is when you’re talking with them.
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Find Out Precisely What Companies Are Seeking
Secret #2
Get Curious About What People Say…
What words do they use? Look on their website. Go to industry blogs. Examine their annual reports. Pay attention in interviews and casual meetings with people in your industry. What are common phrases or terms that are unique to your audience? This is all going in the basket of company intelligence. You have to understand the mindset and language of your hiring manager in order to create a resume and message that will reach them.
have time to study, read, observe and track. I need a job at the very latest by the end of the week!” I understand. I know how tough it is to try to make time out of your crazy busy job search to do marketing research on the mindset of your hiring manager. So here is the simplest and fastest way to get the information you need. It’s called, “ASK.” I don’t have a fancy acronym system for this. I just mean, ask people in this field. Ask people you know in the field. Ask family. Ask former and current colleagues. Ask people in your target market. Tell them you’re doing research. Tell them you’re writing an article. Tell them you’re taking a survey. And in fact, it would be great if you actually did all those things… writing an article, developing a free report or taking a survey. Do these things and then shared the information with hiring authorities you interview with. And here’s the interesting thing that I have found again and again…
Record Patterns and Track Over Time
Keep a record in your journal to track the patterns you see. Over time, check how often you hear certain themes appear. What are people in this company and industry concerned about? What do they want to achieve? And how can you help them achieve their goals? Over time, you’ll see a pattern emerge and this will help you shape the best message to exactly match the language and preferences of your target employer.
The Best Way To Do This, Most of the Time
But maybe you’re thinking…”Hey, I needed a job yesterday! I don’t
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Find Out Precisely What Companies Are Seeking
Secret #2
Give Them What They Want
Kind of a no-brainer, wouldn’t you say? Once you’ve done all that research…use it. Give people what they are asking for. You’ll have a calendar booked with job interviews. Hiring managers, employers and recruiters will feel that you are so special because you understand them! But that’s not all you’ll be doing. It’s a 2-step process. Give them what they want is Part One and Part Two is…
And this is a little like the famous Oreo cookie. You get the chocolate and then you also get the frosting - on the inside. Meanwhile, you’re not working in a vacuum. So all this investigation started you on the right track and is going to keep you heading in the right direction. Because you are going to keep the conversation going with your potential new employer long past the initial contact. Here’s how:
Ask For Input And Get Ready…
Let me tell you a story about the value of ongoing input. This morning I opened the door to find this at work. I belong to a wonderful service, Farm-Fresh-To-You. Every Tuesday morning, I get a box of organic farm fruits, herbs and vegetables delivered right to my door. Getting this box of glowing fruits and yummy vegetables has helped me to cook organically and make untold numbers of delicious meals. I no longer have the excuse of ‘having to go to the store’ standing in the way of a healthy meal. In every box is a one-page double-sided newsletter filled with simple recipes and the news of the weeks…basically, what’s up at the farm. Two weeks ago, Thaddeus, the author of this one-page newsletter, asked a question. He asked all of us to tell him what we’d like him to plant this fall. 13
…And Sneak In What They Need
This is the second and critical part. Because, you and I know, not everyone will reveal the depths of their concerns, issues and problems. Many people want to sail past issues and cover up true needs. Many people do not want to share the root of what they really want. So you may have to be a little sneaky - but in a good way. You’ll just use your creative skill to ‘sneak in what they need.’ What they need most are your unique skills, strengths and talents. But since you don’t want to come on too strong or appear desperately anxious for a job, you’ll have to sneak this in.
© 2009 Presentation StoryboardingTM http://www.presentationstoryboarding.com
Find Out Precisely What Companies Are Seeking
Secret #2
Hint: This is a simple and straightforward way to check-in and stay in touch with hiring managers. Ask them how they would like to build the future. In today’s newsletter, Thaddeus reported that he was thrilled with the tons of responses and was gathering up all the suggestions. This is a very easy and practical way to get feedback and guidance from hiring authorities. It’s free input from people - whether they hired you or not. They can still be helpful in telling you what will make a difference in the next interview. And now just imagine. All the produce customers are invested even more. For example, I wrote in and asked for more watercress. I even asked for my favorite kind of Nantes carrot. And I bet the list is quite long and interesting from all the other customers. We’re already paying for the box. But now we are more committed. Now we are invested in the future harvest. I bet that there will be a lower rate of people signing out of the program. No one is going anywhere…except to the door on Tuesday morning to check what’s in this week’s box. This is something I’ve seen over and over. People love to give advice and offer input. Make use of this in your job search. You’ll have a sure-fire formula for finding out precisely what hiring authorities are truly looking for in your industry.
While this method is direct and uncomplicated, it works wonders. Everyone is involved. People feel part of the process. They are excited to share their ideas. They feel part of a community. People like to help. And especially in these turbulent economic times, people want to lend a hand. These are all ingredients for success. And once you start hearing from hiring authorities, you’re in a very special position. You’ve got inside information to use to get the word out about your unique skills. Let’s take a look at how this 3rd secret can help you get the word out:
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Describe Your Skills So…Nobody Can Resist Calling You
Secret #3
Secret #3:
Describe Your Skills So…Nobody Can Resist Calling You
Use What You Just Found Out
All this research is going to hold you in good stead. You’ve just determined what hiring managers want and how they talk about it. This is gold. Diamonds. Valuable jewels. Imagine the most outrageous valuable treasure you can picture. This is what you now hold in your hands. This is a special treasure trove of insight into your target industry. And it will help you land your ideal job. You’re inside of how employers in your industry speak and think. And you are now in a super unique spot. You are, in business lingo, “uniquely positioned.” Most job seekers don’t think about how their future employers are wired. They are too busy thinking about their own services, skills and their urgent need for a position. Far too many job seekers speak only about themselves - and forget about the company. Their interview is full of “I” phrases. And this is not what you will help you land the job. And it’s certainly not what you will do - in your cover letter, resume or interview.
The truth is: everyone cares about themselves. They do not care about you. They care about what you can do for them. This is why all those “I” phrases have to get replaced with a different attitude. It’s not important if YOU know what you mean. Your employer has to understand what you mean. They have to know what your skills mean to them. It’s not what you say. It’s what your employer hears. Say that over and over again. Just like a personal motto. It’s not what you say. It’s what your clients hear. And you want hiring managers and recruiters to hear only ONE thing. You want them to hear the words that are irresistible to them. Now, I’m not sitting next to you. But if I were, we’d take out your journal. The one with all the commonly used key phrases, insider lingo, and core industry themes. The one with all the research you’ve been tracking. And we’d get to work to build a message that describes your skills so that nobody could resist picking up the phone and booking an interview. So let’s roll up our sleeves and do this now. It’s quick and simple process.
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Describe Your Skills So…Nobody Can Resist Calling You
Secret #3
What’s Inside The Cookie?
This is exactly where the 2-step process comes in handy again. Give them what they want and sneak in what they need. This is true for your professional business interview and it’s equally true for creating a compelling wrapping paper for your skills. You’ve done the research. What core desires, needs and wants are driving your future employers? How will you use this knowledge to shape your message to them? But of course, you’re only going to develop a message about what you absolutely can deliver. Because you want a successful interview and a successful job experience! So you must provide a no-nonsense, no-headache, and absolutely ethical description of what you can do. And the clearer your promise, the more attractive you will be to employers. You will attract your ideal job: The job where you can put your strengths to work, where you are respected, well paid, and rewarded for your input. The kind of job where you smile when you go to work. So that brings us to the big question…
What Is Your Promise?
What’s your unique and compelling promise? This is what people see and recognize instantly as YOU. There’s no question about it. It’s your innate strengths and your one-of-a-kind, unique contribution.
Click here to go to page 31 “What Makes You Irresistible? blueprint”
Keep working at this until you come up with it. You don’t have to do this in isolation. Ask people around you. Ask colleagues. Go over reports and reviews from earlier jobs. Revisit quotes and testimonials from any previous work or volunteer program. Most often, someone else’s description is a whole lot clearer than the words you use to describe yourself. Hint: make sure that your strength-based resume and skills contribution is something you stand behind. It excites you. It’s energizing and gives you goose bumps. It’s compelling to you and it’s a compelling promise to your future employer. Now do one more double-check…
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Describe Your Skills So…Nobody Can Resist Calling You
Secret #3
Is It How They Talk?
Don’t write your unique promise to only work for you. The message is a magnet for your employer. It’s going to pull hiring managers to stop what they are doing, and write you an email. To pick up the phone. To schedule a second interview. This message is going to do a lot of heavy lifting for you when you’re not in the room. So make sure that your promise matches the way your potential employer actually talks. And fortunately, writing this message is a lot more like talking than writing a term paper or research dissertation. This is one more hidden gem most job resume experts won’t tell you: Write your message to sound like you just said it. To do that, here’s a simple formula called: KISS
Keep It Short and Simple. You’re kissing! Use this formula to get at a unique YOU message. Develop one that is easy to say and sounds natural. I always feel like after I write this KISS formula, that I have to keep to it. It is so straightforward, that that’s all I’ve got to say on the topic! But here’s why it’s important for you…
Easy To Say…Easy to Remember
Your uniqueness message is easy to say…and so it’s easy for a hiring manager to remember. Think of Job Seekers Blueprint. It’s easy to say and easy to remember. Think of Presentation Storyboarding…it’s easy to say and easy to remember. Think of the tag line for Presentation Storyboarding: The Definitive System to Better Presentations. Easy to say and easy to remember.
Click here to go to page 31 “The Easy Test Blueprint”
KISSing Works Wonders
This is an acronym and it stands for: K = Keep I = It S = Short S = Simple
This ‘easy to say and easy to remember’ is exactly what you must
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Describe Your Skills So…Nobody Can Resist Calling You
Secret #3
do to wrap your skills and boost your job search. Position your uniqueness in a short message that is easy for hiring authorities to remember. Easy to say…easy to remember. You want to be the one candidate they remember. There’s one more thing that you can do to quickly test how your uniqueness message is working. It’s not tons of research…but more like a gut check to see if you’ve hit the target.
How Can You Test Your Theory?
Pick the top 3 jobs listings you want to nail. Write the name of the person you would consider as your top competition. This may be someone from your last job. Write their name on 3 pieces of paper. Put your uniqueness message under their name in your sample job listing. If your unique message could fit under their name, then you have to keep working. But, if you win and it just has the feel, look and sound of YOU… then you’re home free. And now you’re ready to move on to the 4th Secret to A Successful Job Hunt:
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Be The Difference Maker - Find Your Uniqueness In The Market Place
Secret #4
Secret #4:
Be The Difference Maker - Find Your Uniqueness In The Market Place
How To Find Your Place Know Your Market
You’ve been doing a lot of critical research but here’s the kicker question. What makes your skills absolutely unique? Even in a crowded niche. Even in an overloaded market. Even if everyone and their brother is qualified for the same job. How can you define your special unique spot in your market place? Here is the fastest and easiest way to doing this.
Go online. Browse around different sites in your field. Look for what isn’t there. Look for what you would do if you could design the perfect solution for your industry. Keep asking yourself, “What’s missing?” until you find your answer. This is key to unlock the question of how you can stand out in a crowded marketplace. And don’t only look at what’s present right now. Look for more. I’m not saying this is necessarily easy. But it is remarkably powerful. And this single step distinguishes you as a leader and future leader in your industry.
Find The Spot That Can Grow
Explore the very things that could be coming in your industry but aren’t quite there yet. Is there a new trend? Is there a new target population to serve? Is there an emerging need? Tap into what’s coming in the future. From this visionary standpoint, position your unique skills. This will make savvy recruiters stand up and take notice. This is what great companies look for in recruits: visionary leadership - at every level in the organization. This does not mean you are applying for a leadership position. But it does mean you are thinking like a leader - and this is a quality smart companies are always looking for. It makes you the stand out candidate. This is a rare and makes you extremely memorable.
Look For What’s Missing
Notice what isn’t in your field. What’s missing in your industry? What’s missing from the job market you are looking in? If at all possible, take an afternoon off to do this. Go for a walk. Look around as if you just arrived from another planet. Observe from a completely different perspective. And remember you are looking not for what’s already here. But for what’s not there.
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Be The Difference Maker - Find Your Uniqueness In The Market Place
Secret #4
This is the quality a smart recruiter recalls and selects. This may require that you step out of your normal zone. Look at magazines. Scout around in different online neighborhoods. Open your eyes to current and future trends. Tap into your intuitive sense about future needs.
Click here to go to page 32 “The Difference Maker blueprint”
them at what they are so well known for. If they are supreme in data management, let them have it. Position your strength in communication and human relations. Go in a side door. Go for a side aspect that your competitor is neglecting. Promote that. Own your zone. Tap into the un-mined opportunity and go for being the #1 in this area of your unique strength.
Position To Beat
Here’s why. Your number one competitor has already paid for your research. They have shown what the employer is looking for - and most likely this employer is not the only one looking. But now you can position to be better. Show what you will do in the first 100 days on the job. Prepare a Click here to go to page 32 timeline and project plan for how you will manage your workload. Blow your interviewer away Day Blueprint” “First 100 with compelling charts and diagrams.
Now this may lead you to realize that you’re not the only one thinking about this. And your fellow job seekers may have beaten you to the finish line. But there are things you can do even if you feel that your job-search niche is totally swamped with established skilled candidates…
Even If You’re In A Super Tight Niche
Perhaps you are in a super tight niche and there’s one definite #1 candidate who you have to beat. What can you do? Get competitive. First off, get to know your competitor inside and out. Find out what is their unique “difference” in the market. And let them have it. Don’t try to go head to head and beat
In addition, be willing to engage your interviewer. Many of the top candidates use a pencil or marker to sketch out a plan. They do this live, on the spot. This type of active engagement will set you apart from other candidates.
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Be The Difference Maker - Find Your Uniqueness In The Market Place
Secret #4
You are looking for a need you can serve better and faster than your competition. The biggest need you must serve is to help you interviewer remember you. Make this easy and simple. Show a diagram. Share a blueprint. Leave behind a tangible and colorful record of your conversation. You are in a great position. And there’s something else… And there’s something else…
“The ONE Thing That Will Make Your Job Interviews Rock Solid…GUARANTEED”
How To Get A Steady Flow of Interviews
Have you ever been on a river…rafting, swimming or just playing around? You know when the water is flowing, it’s fun to go with the flow. The current takes you bobbing along. It’s fun. It’s fast and it’s no problem to stay floating. But you probably also know what it’s like if there’s been a drought. If the water level is low. You have to watch out. You have to put your feet first, so you can push away from rocks when you need to. Without enough water, you have to pay a lot more attention. You have to be alert. At times it can seem like it’s all rocks and no flow. It’s just like this when you are interviewing for a job. When you have a few interviews - you have to work on getting more. When you have a lot of interviews - you want to keep a steady stream coming. The fastest and easiest way to keep a steady flow of interviews is to have everyone you know help you keep the flow going. Curious how this works? 21
Don’t Laugh But…
This is a lot like that little sign on VJ’s desk so many years ago. “Choose the illogical.” You are in a special moment in time and space. How you choose to make a difference will make a difference not just for your practice. It will make a difference for each and every person you work with. They will have the intuitive hunch just like you did, that they’ve just found the perfect person who understands their creativity. They’ll feel how good it is to work with someone who respects their uniqueness and understands their needs. It feels great to work with people who “get you.” Get your creativity. Your unique bent. Your one of a kind take on things. That’s you! Now there’s one more secret. The 5th of 5 secrets to boost your practice.
© 2009 Presentation StoryboardingTM http://www.presentationstoryboarding.com
The True Secret to Referrals
Secret #5
Secret #5:
The True Secret to Referrals Make It Easy For People To Talk About You
Here are a few things you can give: Give them free services. Give them unbelievable eye-popping reports. Give them a free sample taste of how good your skills are. Make it so delightful that they can’t stop talking about it. And make it easy for them to spread the word.
Click here to go to page 35 “Be Easy To Talk About Blueprint”
And keep in mind that the people who are coming to this event have already been ‘sold’ on your services. Not by you. But by your satisfied colleagues, friends or clients. And here’s one more thing…
I Just Can’t Believe It…
When it feels like: “I can’t believe I’m just giving this away” - you’re on the right track. This kind of extreme giving is where you can really add value. You are providing a service. For your network of friends and business connections. For your recruiter-magnet system. For your future employer. You’re not just giving away information. You’re making the Illogical Choice. You are giving people what they want. And helping them get what they need. You are letting people know the quality they can expect when they work with you. Your over the top performance announces: Expect Excellence. This sets the tone for getting a great job. A rewarding job. A profitable job. I’m sure that this Special Report gives you techniques, tips and tools that can ‘rev up your job search. No matter what your competition,
Send your colleagues free reports. Share news and updates with long-time and new friends. Send free reports to hiring authorities on topics they care about. Invite them to share the report. Create a viral interest with everything you send. Viral spreading works easiest with online reports. Do the same thing by holding talks and mini-workshops for your industry. Invite people to bring colleagues, friends, family and neighbors. This is a powerful ‘exposure’ to a new network, which may include new employers.
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The True Secret to Referrals
Secret #5
environment, or economy. No matter what your skill set or how long you’ve been looking for a job. Even if you just started your job search. You can find a job now. Plus, this is all for pennies. But that’s not all. I want you to get results. And this means you must take action. I have included a set of Action Blueprints to help you put these ideas into action. These blueprints, checklists, and maps are yours to keep and to use. I hope you use at least one job search tip - and use it today. Many people get excited to start a job search. And the real challenge is keeping it going at a constant, steady pace. Continue to read this report, use the blueprints and checklists. As you gain momentum and get more experience in posting your resume, exploring job search sites and interviewing for positions, you’ll find these tips will improve your results. My wish is that you have every success in finding the job you’re looking for. Plus, I’m sure you’ll enjoy the FREE Presentation Blueprints, videos and tips which are yours at http://www.presentationstoryboarding. com/ Because getting strategic in your job hunt will help you land the job you deserve. And once you land the right job, you’ll want to keep your edge by growing brilliant presentation skills.
Please send me an email and let me know what you found most useful in this report. And be sure to send your comments and questions to me so I can answer in the Presentation Storyboarding Blog and in Special Reports. To your success,
Thomas
Thomas Sechehaye The Presentation Storyboard Coach P.S. You owe it to yourself to use these tools to present yourself and get the job you want. Get started today! P.P.S. Make a specific time and date appointment to use each of these secrets. Go ahead and get out your calendar now. You deserve to get fast results! Contact: http://www.presentationstoryboarding.com/
Thomas Sechehaye is a presentation coach and visual strategy consultant for creative professionals. He helps coaches, consultants, entrepreneurs and small business professionals successfully present ideas and services. For instant tools and online coaching to achieve greater credibility, higher impact and instant authority, visit http://www.presentationstoryboarding. com/
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10 Action Blueprints To Boost Your Job Search, Ace Interviews and Get A Great Job - In A Recession
BLUEPRINTS
Table of Contents
Getting Started
1. 2. 3. 4.
Be Non-Logical Blueprint Start By Giving Blueprint Turn Offers Into A Personal Gold Mine Blueprint Body Language Blueprint
Secret #1: Plan Your Job Hunt Strategy In Advance
Secret #2: Find Out Precisely What Companies Are Seeking
5. Research Guide Blueprint
Secret #3: Describe Your Skills So…Nobody Can Resist Calling You
6. 7. What Makes You Irresistible and Unique Blueprint The Easy Test Blueprint
Secret #4: Be The Difference Maker - Find Your Uniqueness In The Market Place
8. 9. The Difference Maker Blueprint First 100 Days Blueprint
Secret #5: Make It Easy For People To Talk About You
10. Be Easy To Talk About Blueprint
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10 Action Blueprints To Boost Your Job Search, Ace Interviews and Get A Great Job - In A Recession
BLUEPRINTS
Getting Started
Getting Started
1. Be Non-Logical Blueprint
Print this sign and post it near where you work. Use this sign as a frequent reminder to think about your choices in a new light, to sense new options and to tap into your core intuition.
“Make The Non-Logical Choice” sign
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10 Action Blueprints To Boost Your Job Search, Ace Interviews and Get A Great Job - In A Recession
BLUEPRINTS
Getting Started
2. Start By Giving Blueprint
What Can You Give Away For Free? Services Consultation Upgrades Taster sessions Pilot workshops Project Cross Promotion Free Trial Of… Who Can You Give It To? • Hint look for people who will refer your business • Hint: look for people who do not provide your service but your service will be of interest to their customers
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10 Action Blueprints To Boost Your Job Search, Ace Interviews and Get A Great Job - In A Recession
Secret #1: Plan Your Job Hunt Strategy In Advance
BLUEPRINTS
Secret #1: Plan Your Job Hunt Strategy In Advance
3. Turn Offers Into A Personal Gold Mine Blueprint
Go through blogs, catalogues, e-mail, physical mail and website offers for several days. Pick out an offer idea you can adapt to communicate your unique services and skills to potential employers. Use this list to jumpstart your thinking about potential communication offers to your potential employers. Mix and match to create a unique offer that will appeal to your industry.
What Can You Give Away For Free? Special Deal Free Information Free Report White Paper Newsletter Video Special Report Evaluation Service Upgrade Referral reward
To Potential companies Employers Recruiters Former employer Your network Social media network
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10 Action Blueprints To Boost Your Job Search, Ace Interviews and Get A Great Job - In A Recession
Secret #1: Plan Your Job Hunt Strategy In Advance
BLUEPRINTS
4. Body Language Blueprint
Top Tips For Body Language In Job Interviews
In job interviews, all your body language and gestures are a critical part of your message. Your interviewer is watching! They are evaluating and responding to your eye contact, movement and ability to relate to them as a human being. Research shows that interviewers remember applicants by the way they make eye contact and move, nearly 600 times more than what they say! People recall an applicant’s presentation from: 7% is the content. 52% if the presenter makes eye contact. 41% how the presenter moves. Your interviewer or recruiter will sense if you are fully present, standing and giving your full attention. Pay attention to your body language as it has a dramatic and instant impact. Use these tips for gestures and body language. Make sure your gestures are and support your unique promise and strengthen your message. 1. Take the body language quiz. Rate your body language during interviews from 1 = poor to 10 = excellent
Is your posture straight? Are your gestures natural and unforced? Are your body movements fluid and comfortable? Does your face display a pleasant expression? Are you smiling? Are you making a connection with your eyes? All of these signal confidence and build rapport with your audience. 2. They eyes have it. Darting eyes make your audience nervous. Staring at people for too long can also make them uncomfortable. How do you decide what’s long enough to look at a person? 3-5 seconds is fine to look before moving on to the next person. Experiment with looking at your interviewer for a full thought. If there are multiple interviewers, then move on to look at the next person. 3. Practice giving your interview both standing up and sitting down. Rehearse so you are equally comfortable with different settings. Your confidence comes through in your ease, personal presence and posture. 4. Keep your hands visible. Keep your hand gestures above the waist. Gestures below the waist look nervous and don’t convey confidence. If you don’t feel comfortable with your gestures, don’t use them. Forced gestures look worse than none.
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10 Action Blueprints To Boost Your Job Search, Ace Interviews and Get A Great Job - In A Recession
Secret #1: Plan Your Job Hunt Strategy In Advance
BLUEPRINTS
5. Watch out for hand gestures where both hands do the same thing. This may look like a windshield wiper and is highly hypnotic. Don’t risk putting your new boss or interviewer into a trance with repetitive hand gestures. All he or she will remember is how distracting your hands were and this can override any of your positive traits. 6. Use the pause. This is the best method for calm delivery during an interview - even if you aren’t feeling calm. Because of nervousness, many candidates start talking before they officially begin. Don’t fall prey to this. If you have informal conversation before your job presentation officially starts, pause. Smile and silently count to three. Then, start your presentation. This is a sign of confidence that will earn respect before you even say your first word. 7. Smile like you just found a quarter. A smile is the best gesture you can use. It not makes you feel more confident, but it also changes the environment of a high-stakes interviewer. 8. Break the habits. Eliminate distracting habits. Record yourself on video. Watch objectively for actions including rocking, swaying, fidgeting, jingling pocket change, adjusting hair, playing with a pen, chewing a pencil, chewing your glasses, fidgeting with clothing or swinging your legs while sitting. Start working to avoid these movements. Pick one habit at a time. 9. Avoid wardrobe malfunctions. Don’t wear a brand new outfit. Standing or sitting in front of a potential new boss is not the time to find out that your shirt won’t stay buttoned. Don’t wear jewelry you are tempted to play with. Wear something tried and true.
10. Dress for business. It will put you in a professional state of mind. 11. Take a stretch. Stretch before you begin your high-stakes interview. Create a set of exercises that work for your body. Focus on how to increase breath calmly and calm your nerves. 12. Take a walk. Go outside before your interview. Breathe fresh air. Move around a bit before you get started. This lets you work off a little nervous energy and prepare to give a focused presentation. Be sure to continue to work with these suggestions as you give more job interview presentations. Develop your personal set of ‘best practices’ so you can ace any interview no matter what.
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10 Action Blueprints To Boost Your Job Search, Ace Interviews and Get A Great Job - In A Recession
Secret #2: Find Out Precisely What Companies Are Seeking
BLUEPRINTS
Secret #2: Find Out Precisely What Companies Are Seeking
5. Research Guide Blueprint
Do the research so you can step into the mindset of what matters most to your next employer.
What are they reading and listening to:
Books Journals Websites Magazines Newspapers Periodicals Industry newsletters Blogs Conference presentations TV Radio Other:
What pattern do you notice:
Key words Trends Buzz words Acronyms News Length of communications Media they prefer Other:
Who else to ask:
People in the field Industry leaders Family Current colleagues Former colleagues Recruiters Competitors Other:
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10 Action Blueprints To Boost Your Job Search, Ace Interviews and Get A Great Job - In A Recession
Secret #3: Describe Your Skills So… Nobody Can Resist Calling You
BLUEPRINTS
Secret #3:
7. The Easy Test Blueprint
Does Your Unique Promise Pass The Easy Test?
Easy to say…easy to remember
Describe Your Skills So… Nobody Can Resist Calling You 6. What Makes You Irresistible and Unique Blueprint
Answer a few questions to make sure your promise is powerful and will pop thru the clutter in an interviewer or recruiter’s mind: What is your big benefit to your employer?
Is it Short? Hint: Short is much easier to recall than long. Is it Simple? Hint: Short words, no acronyms, and short sentences. Easy to say is easy to remember. Is it Absolutely Memorable? Hint: Alphabetize any lists or core competencies: Example: Master of facilitating, presenting and training.
Do they want this benefit?
Are they willing to pay for it:
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10 Action Blueprints To Boost Your Job Search, Ace Interviews and Get A Great Job - In A Recession
Secret #4: Be The Difference Maker - Find Your Uniqueness In The Market Place
BLUEPRINTS
Secret #4:
9. First 100 Days Blueprint
Use these guidelines to build your ‘First 100-Day Timeline’ and impress any interviewer or recruiter. Build this first on a whiteboard or paper chart. Then, decide if you will present this in your interview working live, or in a prepared format. For some situations, you may want to send this timeline after your interview as a record of what you heard in the conversation.
Be The Difference Maker - Find Your Uniqueness In The Market Place 8. The Difference Maker Blueprint
Answer a few questions to make sure your recruiter sees you as unique in the market: What makes you unique?
First 100 Days Timeline
A horizontal organization of information, with time of 100 days along the bottom, and categories along the left hand vertical axis.
What’s missing in your industry?
Point
A first 100-day timeline makes it easy to engage your interviewer and show your grasp of key initiatives, gaps, patterns and deadlines. It positions you as a valued member of your potential employer’s team.
What is the opportunity for growth?
Process
What makes you the best match for this opportunity? 1. Orient in a landscape If you are using a flipchart or whiteboard, turn the paper horizontal. If you are working on a smaller surface, orient the paper so the longest side is on the bottom, in what’s called a “landscape” format.
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10 Action Blueprints To Boost Your Job Search, Ace Interviews and Get A Great Job - In A Recession
Secret #4: Be The Difference Maker - Find Your Uniqueness In The Market Place
BLUEPRINTS
2. Decide on 100-day timeframe. Divide the chart into three segments of 35 days each. Or divide the chart into 5 segments of 20 days each. Make it easy to see the natural sections of your timeline. 3. Leave room so that you’ll have room to write, draw, add, and move ideas around. 4. Decide on the categories you will track. Keep these to no more than five or seven categories. Write and or draw an icon that represents this category on the left hand side. 5. Create flexibility. If you aren’t sure of where something goes, write it in on a note-card or sticky note, so you can move it around. 6. Use the icons for categories. This can help you orient and help you tell the story in a memorable way for your interviewer. The icons create a verbal and visual shorthand method for referring to categories. For example use a “talk bubble” for communications and a “price tag” for costs. 7. Let it rest. Walk out of the room. Walk outside. Take a break. Come back later in the day, or in a few days. Now what do you notice? 8. Ask for input. Get input from a close colleague, friend or peer. Have you left anything out that they notice? Do they see a pattern or cycle that you missed?
9. Look at the whole. As you look at the big picture, are there any stages, eras, themes that you want to add to further fill in your timeline? What do you notice as you see the whole? 10. Decide if you will present this as a live discussion or if you prefer to put this into a PowerPoint or Keynote presentation.
Pitfalls
• Too much detail Does it feel overwhelming? If you find yourself really concentrating on details in one section, pull yourself back. The secret here is use key-phrases and stay in a big picture so you can present the bigger flows. • Too little detail Do you feel that “It doesn’t have enough depth?” If you don’t use the key words and priorities of your new employer, it will be hard to connect in the detail. • Too many categories If you look at the chart and think, “Whoa! This is too much too track!” This is a recipe for disaster. Trying to capture everything can lead to overwhelm and frustration. If you have more than 3-5 categories, cut to the critical few. Combine. Eliminate. Pick the absolute essentials for your timeline.
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10 Action Blueprints To Boost Your Job Search, Ace Interviews and Get A Great Job - In A Recession
Secret #4: Be The Difference Maker - Find Your Uniqueness In The Market Place
BLUEPRINTS
Payoff
• Easy to see patterns Several years ago, Harvard Business review used a colorful timeline to tell the story of the history of business in the United States. This was a radical departure from only black and white text, a colorful timeline made it easy to see themes. You can use the same methods to identify themes, patterns and cycles and present yourself as a productive and valuable employee for your recruiter. • Easy to tell a story Get your 100-day story out of your head. A visual timeline will help you think systematically about how you want to invent the future. • Easy to involve others Interviewers enjoy seeing a big picture and getting involved in a colorful story. Use your skill to engage even the toughest interviewer. A timeline is a powerful tool to build a memorable story of productivity. Enjoy telling stories.
Recall and remember As years go by, all the events can all flow together…just which year was it that “X” happened? A timeline is an excellent tool to remember events, changes, and skill development. Present a project plan as a story A timeline is a powerful visual anchor for telling a story. Plus you can leave the timeline behind and you can count on your interviewer looking at this much more intently than one text-only resume.
First 100 Days Timeline Checklist
? Do you have your paper or slide oriented to a landscape horizontal layout? ? Are you sure about your 3-5 categories? ? Do you have a large title on your chart? ? Do you have easy-to-draw icons to identify each category? ? Are you clear on the phases in the first 100 days? ? Are you balancing overview and detail across categories and time? ? Have you taken a break to include your interviewer and get input?
Practice
Review and reflect Track your own job history along several coordinates at once: career, location, partners, finances and personal themes. Track the history of your business or career. Explore your personal timeline around one topic such as: physical health, finances, stress, or creativity.
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10 Action Blueprints To Boost Your Job Search, Ace Interviews and Get A Great Job - In A Recession
Secret #5: The True Secret to Referrals
BLUEPRINTS
Secret #5: The True Secret to Referrals Make It Easy For People To Talk About You!
10. Be Easy To Talk About Blueprint
Short Story What’s your short story?
How will you share it?
• • • • • • • • E-mail Letters Free Reports Videos Social Media Presentations Workshops Other:
How will you make it easy for your network to share?
• • • • • • • • Links PDF 800 number Free Offer Reward Cross promotion Add Value for their business Other:
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Copyright
Copyright 2009 Presentation StoryboardingTM a division of Hands On Graphics, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, by any means, (electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the authors. No liability is assumed with respect to the use of the information contained within. Although every precaution has been taken, the authors assume no liability for errors or omissions. Neither is any liability assumed for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein. NO WARRANTIES: This booklet is being provided AS IS for informational purposes, without any warranties whatsoever. This booklet is not guaranteed to produce any particular result. Use the information contained herein at your own risk.
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