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That uncomfortable feeling … A self assessment of when to consider a job change.

I spoke to a friend yesterday, who asked for some advice. It seems her sales job wasn’t going as well as she had hoped. She wasn’t making enough money to cover her expenses, and she was "starting to feel uncomfortable". Feeling uncomfortable is our internal warning system. Remember the Robot from "Lost in Space", who would announce "Danger, Will Robinson!" We all have that Robot inside us, that internal gauge that tells us if everything is good, or not. But how do we tell if this bad feeling is temporary, or something that we can overcome?

My friend has a dilemma that many people see in their career. She had moved 4 months ago to a sales role, after 3 months of training. On one hand, she’s getting negative feelings from her boss….On the other hand, she’s only been in her new role for 4 months. New and heavily commissioned salespeople often struggle and feel this way at the 90 day mark, and don’t start seeing results for 6-12 months, depending on the company/product/service. Veteran salespeople know that the start-up phase of a new job is challenging.

Should I Stay or should I go?
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Your Multi Pronged Job Search

Conducting a job search when our news is mired in negativity regarding topics such as failing economy and unemployment rates higher than they have been in five yeas can engender resignation.

Jason Mannino specializes in helping people live the life they were born for through Wholeness Coaching. Wholeness Coaching supports people in realizing full potential.

However, I encourage you to engage in practices that are nurturing and that support you in keeping a positive attitude.

Do whatever it takes to maintain an “attitude of gratitude” and state a clear positive intention.

Also, keep in mind that there may be fewer jobs available this year than there were last year. But intrinsic in this statement is that fact that jobs are indeed still available.

Companies are experiencing cutbacks, but they still need talent to function.

Finally, the job market will pick up again. Companies don’t downsize indefinitely. In no time they’ll be expanding.
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OK, so you’ve written your resume, you’ve done 3 versions for specific job criteria, and you’re drinking the Koolaid of sending fewer, but more targeted resumes. You’re on the right path to searching for a new job.

TIP #1: A high page rank on Google Searches is a simple reason why LinkedIN is a must for any Job Seeker today.

Your resume will help you reply to job listings, but it doesn’t help employers FIND YOU very well. Job Search 2.0 is about getting found, and getting noticed. It’s more than just creating a brand…it’s creating Subject Matter Expertise (SME), then publicizing your SME, amplifying your SME, and virally marketing your SME.

Wouldn’t it be nice if your job search consisted of evaluating numerous job offers, consulting gigs, and overtures for your help? Who wouldn’t enjoy the attention and the validation of your life’s work? When you’ve successfully virally marketed your subject matter expertise, is gives you such an unfair advantage…because employers seek YOU to solve their specific problems.
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How to ace telephone interview

Make the most of a few seconds to create a great first impression.

The Internet has made it so easy to apply for jobs that most hiring managers are inundated with hundreds of applications for every position they post. “But hiring and selection is ultimately a process about people talking to each other,” said John O’Brien, managing partner of Hire Direct, the sales and call center division of Hire Dynamics, a Georgia staffing company. Once the human resources department has whittled down the list of resumes, most companies turn to an old, but reliable, form of communication the telephone.

“The telephone interview is used to further screen out candidates from the face-to-face interview,” said Jenny DeVaughn, senior talent consultant with Talent Connections LLC, an Atlanta executive-search and consulting company. “The person will be checking for any red flags that came up on your resume. You must be able to present yourself and articulate your strengths in a polished manner.”

Whether the call comes from someone in human resources or an initial screener, “What you want to do is confirm that his or her instincts were right to call you that you are as good as you look on paper and a great candidate for this position.”

With less than 30 seconds to make a great first impression, and about 10 to 20 minutes to sell yourself knowing how to pass this hurdle in the hiring process is crucial, O’Brien said. “You need to know your goal, know your audience and know yourself,” O’Brien said.
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If you want to move on or up in your career then it is time to get noticed. Women in particular don’t always realise the importance of increasing their visibility at work and think that by working harder and keeping their heads down they will eventually get rewarded. Men tend to be better at letting others know what they are working on, what they have achieved and take the time to form strategic alliances which help position them for interesting opportunities and projects.

It is true that it is not just what you know but who you know that counts and it really is that easy to be passed over for a job if you don’t raise your visibility. If you have your nose to the grindstone from 9 to 5, and are rarely seen other than at your computer, now is the time to step out and make yourself know. Follow these 10 tips to get recognised at work.

1. Get to know the bigger picture and learn about other parts of the business so that you can spot opportunities, make connections and be proactive in problem solving.
2. Attend company networking events and after hours drinks. This is a great way to form connections with others in a more relaxed setting.
3. Ask or join colleagues for lunch rather than munching a sandwich alone at your desk.
4. Physically get up and go and talk to someone in another department. It is too easy to blast off another email or leave a voice message. Even if the person is not at their desk you may get the opportunity to talk to others along the way. The cliche of the water cooler being the place to learn about what is really happening in the business is valid.
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When you learn how to find hidden jobs or unadvertised jobs that no-one else knows about you give yourself an immediate and massive advantage in the jobs market. By applying the principles which I explain below, you eliminate the competition for jobs, especially now when statistics tell us that recruitment is falling rapidly.

Did you know that for every advertised vacancy in the ‘help wanted’ columns or in job banks on the internet, it is reckoned that there are at least two unadvertised jobs?

When you think about it, organizations prefer to recruit as cheaply as possible so if they can avoid advertising, so much the better. If their own people can introduce new recruits, or if a well targeted resume and cover letter arrive at the right moment, they save money.

Of course that sounds fine in theory, but if these jobs are not publicly advertised, how do you get to know about them?

You can easily learn how to find hidden jobs, which include unadvertised or unannounced jobs using these 4 key ideas below. The great thing is that once you understand how to apply these techniques, you can soon identify jobs that no-one else knows about and create a shortlist of just one - you!

1: Identify companies that are of interest to you:
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Giving future employers references on your resume is a great way to build trust. References are testimonials about you as a person, they’re a credit to you. Let’s just say that a reference page is the most crucial aspect of the whole resume. This doesn’t mean you should include the references within the resume however. It’s much more effective to say that references are available upon request, and have them ready on a separate page.

In seriousness it depends on what type of job you’re applying for. Saying that references are available on request can be effective and are quite common amongst job seekers of today. But in some markets, the employers may see it as lazy and that you’re trying to hide something. So use some common sense, and have a think about the role you’re applying for then address the references section accordingly.

Typically the rule of thumb when creating a resume reference page is to include 3 professional references and 3 personal ones. Again it all depends on the role you’re applying for. But you can’t go wrong with 6 decent references. Usually your future employer or anyone interested in your resume, will always pay attention to the professional references. Because most of the time the references are former employer’s or employee’s.
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When it comes to job interviews preparation is the key. One of the most important things to prepare for is tough job interview questions and the potential answers you might give.

Use these examples of tricky job interview questions to prepare for your next job interview. Above all, make sure that you don’t over-prepare and end up sounding like a scripted robot. The key is to get the answers prepared mentally in a brief outline.

“What kind of salary are you looking for?”

Although this is often one of the last questions you might be asked, you need to treat this one with utmost care. If you don’t know what sort of salary is reasonable for the position, then you will have to ask the employer what their range is and then simply work from there. Do not start negotiating off the back of this question…wait until you are actually offered the position first, before you make any salary negotiations!

Remember, the salary you can command is directly related to your suitability and skills for the job.

“Are you a team player?”

If you’ve worked with colleagues in the past, then you are indeed a team player. The employer will gladly (and often expect) some real life examples. Use your job interview preparation to think of a few.
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How To Headhunt The Headhunters courtesy of Forbes

“Dear Mr. Recruiter, Hi. Until Monday, I was an investment banking executive at Lehman, and I’m wondering if your search firm has any appropriate openings.”

Sending a blind letter like this to a recruiter you don’t know is a total waste of time, particularly when there are thousands of former Wall Street employees lined up in front of the copy machines. Even more clueless: Sending a resume to someone who doesn’t even conduct searches in your field. In Pictures: How To Headhunt The Headhunters

“A resume gets you in front of us, in theory, but there are so many of them it doesn’t usually produce a conversation,” says Ralph S. Protsik, co-founder and managing director of Boston Search Group, an executive search firm that specializes in emerging businesses in the U.S. and Western Europe. Protsik says he gets about 100 resumes a week, but rarely looks at any of them.

So how do you get a headhunter’s attention?

First, find the recruiters who specialize in your industry. Many search firms post on their Web sites specific jobs they’re conducting searches for. Find one that matches your background, and tailor a cover letter explaining specifically how your work experience qualifies you for the job. Make it difficult for them to ignore you.
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When you are starting to write a resume you might find yourself staring at a blank white piece of paper or screen and wondering what to put. You might spend a few minutes and then start writing what you think should be included. This is a situation that is common among many people who are writing a resume for the first time. But don’t worry; this problem can be solved in seconds if not minutes. Get a Free resume format from the net and your problem is solved.

Now comes another dilemma. There are so many different resume formats available that you will be baffled when it comes to deciding on one particular format. This is where this article will come to your rescue.

The first thing that you have to do is download several good looking resume formats. Then go through all of them. Make sure it contains some basic requirements like having a white margin all around the page and divided into sections. It is important to have sectioned resume as this makes the resume very easy to go through and search for required information and the person who is doing the hiring will definitely prefer to have it that way. With these criteria, make a shortlist of three or four resumes.
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