In your job search it’s critical to realize upfront that you aren’t the only one looking for a new job or wanting to work for a particular employer.  In today’s market the unemployment rate is still considered ‘high’ and the competition is tough.
We now have FIVE generations in the workplace that are all competing for the same jobs that you want and many have more experience, broader expertise and a known work ethic that you need to exceed.  Sounds dire, but it doesn’t have to be with the right approach.
Generations that are still working full time and /or are in the early stages of building their career:

• Traditionalists (born 1945 and before) YES many have put off retirement for many reasons and are still actively working and are considered excellent workers for many reasons;
• Baby Boomers (born between 1946-1964);
• Generation X (born 1965-1976)
• Millennials/Generation Y (born 1977-1995)
• iGen/ Generation Z (born 1996 and after)

First things first, acknowledge to yourself that you aren’t the only one applying to each job, you may be competing against 10 or several hundred, perhaps even several thousand other candidates who all feel, be honest with yourself again, just like you do, that they are the perfect fit!
It is up to YOU to market yourself as the best candidate. This requires effort and dedication to finding jobs that actually fit your background and those where you truly have experience to offer directly relating to the role itself. 

• Create a resume that sells your accomplishments, not one that looks like a job description or a template from the internet (and please, please stop listing your hobbies, using a photo, adding logos and odd frames around each and every section);
• Know your market and research the employer, don’t just aimlessly apply to every job that looks interesting or pays a salary that you want. Without research you aren’t truly able to make a connection between your experience and what the employer needs;
• Write a compelling cover letter that speaks directly to each unique job and what you offer the role, don’t waste time (theirs and yours) writing the same generic letter using template language for every job~ trust me it’s obvious and appears insincere;
• Get out and meet people, yes that’s another way to say network, but time to face facts in todays competitive world, the traditional way of applying for jobs online and then sitting at home waiting for the call to come rarely does.  It’s critical that you reach out and meet people in your industry, in your market, so that your resume becomes a living breathing human being.  That outreach will open doors and expand your job search and will generate job leads….I guarantee it and I never use that phrase, but people who network and build relationships learn about and get jobs faster than those who don’t.

Networking, or simply put meeting people, needs to be seen as genuine, a true desire to get to know people NOT as a sole means to find out what they can do for you.  So what this means is that it takes time to build trust, but it’s something that will provide great benefits long term, not just for a job right now but for all future job opportunities.
This is your career, one that will expand decades which calls for building long term relationships not an overnight fix.


Remember no one owes you an interview or a job, those who fit roles are the ones that are hired, make an effort and show the employer it’s you!

Are you wanting to begin the new year with a fresh outlook on your career?  
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Whether you have questions on your resume, cover letter, networking or overall career guidance, we are offering FREE 15-Minute Coaching every Friday starting December 9 through December 30, 2016.

Visit the link below to claim your spot.  Due to the limited time for our conversation, so that I have an idea of the focus of our discussion, there will be a very short questionnaire to complete when you sign up.


https://espertohroffice.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php

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For many people even the slightest thought of going out somewhere to meet and make connections with people they do not know can be daunting.  Whether it's due to time, resources, availability of meet-n-greet type opportunities, or your individual level of introversion, networking in order to meet other professionals in your journey to building your career can be very unappealing ~ rather than supportive of your long term career focus.
A few tips that are simple, quick and easy to do from the comfort of your office, on the train ride home, or from the comfort of your home, that can be as effective as in person networking as well as serving as a great follow up after meeting new people include:

1. Email: reach out periodically to engage with current collegauges. Emails don't have to be lengthy, just a quick hello or note of support will work;
2. Use the various social media platforms to congratulate someone on a promotion, new job, anniversary, birthday or to comment on something they have shared. Join and comment in groups and follow employers,  just make sure to keep all comments and posts professional as they never really disappear!  With written posts translating tone can be very difficult and could lead to a misunderstanding of the intent of your message.  
3. In using LinkedIN/ Facebook, Instagram, Twitter: create a profile with a professional photo and reach out to build your network ( on LinkedIN make sure to use a custom created introduction stating why you want to be part of their network: hint: not to help get a job!), then review your feeds regularly and when someone posts something, make sure to leave a  comment to keep your name/skill set top of mind.

I do stress though as with any networking endeavor, success does not come overnight and without effort.  It takes time to build trust and to show that you are engaging for the right reasons, for a long term professional relationship rather than merely using them in order to gain your next job.
Be sincere and work towards building relationships.  When you least expect needing a contact is when you will see the results of the time and effort put in months /years earlier.



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I get many questions these days asking if I can write a resume for Automated Tracking Systems otherwise known as ATS, with a long description to me on what ATS is, in case I’ve never heard of them!
Well, yes, I’ve not only heard of ATS but have in fact used them in recruiting.
Truth # 1: This many come as a shock to you but ATS are not perfect and no resume can be written specifically to fit an ATS for an employer.  Yes you can pull keywords from the job posting and put them into your resume when it applies, but more importantly your resume needs to read as genuine, telling your story of what you bring to an employer, specifically what sets you apart from all other candidates.  Keep in mind there is no one size fits all resume, each job posting has its own niche and you need to tweak your resume accordingly.
Truth #2: You don’t know what your competition will ever be for any single job posting, with most employers using online application processes that run 24/7 with applicants today coming from all over the world and willing to relocate, your competition is far greater than it was say 10 years ago when most employers only pulled from within their own ‘small’ geographical area. So make sure your resume /cover letter highlight what you have accomplished, rather than using canned insincere language that is generalized.
Truth #3: What is more important to know is that around 30% of people actually get their jobs from their resume ‘fitting an ATS’, the rest, as you will often see/hear me say in my tweets and live broadcasts gain their jobs by becoming known to employers, recruiters and hiring managers.  Those in the hiring process will reach out to their own professional network perhaps offering employee bonuses for applicant referrals or look at social media accounts for those with their area of expertise. So along with making sure you have a strong, well- written resume/ cover letter, is the need to broaden your networking and actually meet people and build professional relationships.
Truth #4: Networking is not a ‘one and done’ process. You can’t merely attend one function and expect a job offer or great lead, it takes time on your part and yes, patience, but in the long run this effort will produce more leads than you can imagine.  But you need to start now, not when you want a job, or worst case scenario when, it’s critical to have a job. 

As I create online training programs and share knowledge via online social media platforms (i.e.Facebook Live, Instagram Stories, Periscope) I have found and currently use a few favorite pieces of technology that are reasonably priced that give me great quality results.  I've found them very helpful and feel you may too.
http://astore.amazon.com/sarasfavoritethings-20
***May contain affiliate links. I only recommend products that I use and love. But please do not feel obligated to purchase anything through my link.

We often read about the benefits of finding a mentor(s) and how it will be a positive influence on your career.   And what you have read are very real benefits, finding a good mentor(s) is critical to learning and growing throughout your career.  Being open to learning from mentors at every stage of your career is essential.
But we don’t often talk about the benefits that come with being the mentor to a student, young professional, midlife career changer or advanced professional. 
What’s in it for me, you ask?  LOTS!

• You have the opportunity to share mistakes that you have made in your own career and how you overcame them and in turn learned how to avoid future mistakes that could have become career busters. Mistakes can be good, with risk comes the potential for error.   Gauging and controlling the risk is what is important. 
• You have the ability to be a part of growing our workforce and helping to make someone become a solid contributor in their profession.
• You are integral in helping someone to understand the real world of work, not the tv or movie version but what to actually expect in the workplace.
• You have the ability to coach someone to strive for something they never expected to achieve.
• You can help to build their confidence.
• You can help someone realize and pursue their dream, especially those dreams that may not be part of the traditional career path.
• Mentoring someone else can enhance your own skills and professional growth.
• If mentoring someone within your own organization, it can help towards development and retention of talent.
• Mentoring is about building relationships and building relationships expands your own network and that of the person you are mentoring.

Have you been a mentor?  What did you learn from the experience?

Ingredients
2 cups passion
1 cup persistence
1/2 cup gratitude
1 tablespoon of faith
1/4 teaspoon of support
A pinch of courage
And a whole lot of time & determination


Directons

• Believe in yourself
• Write down your accomplishments, unique strengths, dreams, expectations of where you want your career to go and a clear vision on HOW to make it happen.
• Find a mentor or a program that will guide you to start taking action.
• Engage! Meet and listen to people of all ages and career paths and learn from them.
• Be purposeful
• Follow your dreams one step at a time.
• Let go of anything that is not moving you positively towards your goals.

You’re ready to make a career change and you’ve been applying to what seem like an endless list of jobs both in close proximity of your current location, and for those flexible to relocation, quite a distance away.
Today you hear from one of the employers that they would like to schedule a phone interview.
You think GREAT…. I have an interview; someone (finally) recognizes my value.
But then the euphoria dies and you realize you’ve done face-to-face interviews but never a phone interview. 
How does this work?  What should you expect?  How do you prepare?
Most likely a phone interview is scheduled to maximize the interview process and at this stage the employer is probably interviewing a number of candidates.  It’s quicker and cheaper to use this medium to interview more candidates, especially those from a distance away.
How does this work?  
It’s very simple really, the employer schedules a date and time for your call, you confirm and provide the number for them to call and at that date and time they call you. Phone interviews are usually short anywhere from 15-30 minutes in general.
What should you expect?
This is the interview where they ‘weed out’ the strongest (or weakest depending on how you look at it) candidates to determine which ones best meet the needs of the position and the company.  Next they will take this smaller group and schedule face-to-face interviews.
How do you prepare?

• Location: make sure you are situated in a location that is private, comfortable and free of distractions.   Even though this is a phone interview, you must treat it with the same level of respect as you would a face-to-face interview. The interviewer will be able to sense if you are not completely focused.
• Phone number/medium: make sure that you provide a phone number that has a clear connection. Some cell phone connections seem to have a slight delay, some hollow. For me I still prefer the old landline for my comfortable connection to hear clearly and to be heard clearly, but that's me, you need to figure out what’s best for you.
• Dress:  This IS an interview, so dress professionally for the type of position; dressing as you would for the face-to-face interview can prevent you from sounding to casual and it can make you feel more professional. 
• Preparation:  research their company and/or their website and review the job posting qualifications and duties and compare them to your resume; organize your thoughts and rehearse responses to questions regarding your experience relating to those expectations; and have a copy of your resume nearby, this is the time when you can look directly at it!  Just make sure you are natural in your responses and aren’t reading. 

Also be prepared to ask a question focused on the position itself or their timeline in the process. Most likely you’ll get this opportunity at the end,               so make the most of it. Not having a question can make you appear disinterested.

• Stand versus sitting:  many people will tell you that standing during the phone interview can help in remaining calm and sounding professional, just be careful not to pace or walk, stand still otherwise they’ll be able to hear this in your voice.  Sitting is also fine just make sure you are sitting in a straight back chair with strong posture.  You wouldn’t slouch if sitting in front of the interviewer so don’t do it now.  

Challenges?   To many the phone interview is easier as they can have notes in front of them and don’t have to worry about the nervousness of having someone in front of them watching their body language.  To others though it can be nerve racking and cause them to under or over speak, as they cannot see the interviewer to gauge their reaction, so they end up saying to little or they ramble. 
Another challenge is the long pause….the interviewer often is taking notes or looking over your resume to ask more questions but you can’t see this so you begin to wonder what is wrong.  You also can’t see their facial expression after a response to know how they reacted. 
Practice!  Ask a friend or family member if they will allow you to practice a phone interview.  Give them your resume and the job posting and have them go through the motions of asking questions about your experience, timing your responses and inserting a long pause to see how you react.  It won’t be perfect but it will help to put you at ease for the interview that really counts!
It’s over….now what?
The phone interview should be treated no differently than a face-to-face interview.  You evaluate how you think you did, send a thank you email reiterating your interest in the position and working for their company and clean up or a particular question where you think your response wasn’t quite what you truly wanted to say.  Just make sure you are only clarifying your response to one question not the entire interview. 

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‘Your Value Does Not Decrease Based on Someone’s Inablity to See Your Worth’ Unknown
Have you been working long hours taking on new projects all the while excelling at your normal duties only to continue to be overlooked for pay increases and job promotions?
Or maybe you’re at a point in your career where you have amassed significant achievements in your particular industry or career expertise and have embarked on an ‘employer change’  yet are not getting any calls on the many resumes that you are sending out and the job postings where you have submitted your materials?
As someone who has been there in the past and is listening to colleagues who are at that very stage right now, wanting to be appreciated by their current employer or just ready to start a job search for the next level of their career but not getting that recognition or chance to show their talents can be very difficult, and yes frustrating to continue to keep  spirits high and not let the negativity take over.
As a career coach I hear very similar stories from clients at all stages of their career, of hard work, long hours, taking on additional duties, giving up free time for work related needs and taking classes while holding down a job (or two) while taking care of  their families and feeling like they will never get beyond their current status. 
There are many reasons this can occur, in some cases you can take a more assertive role for change and in some cases it really is ‘them and not you’.
If you are putting in the effort and not being recognized by your current employer or a prospective one take a minute to really assess your situation.  But I warn you to get to the truth so that you can move forward it will call for you to be (at times maybe brutally) honest with yourself:
Current employer:

• What is the track record of internal promotions or raises?
• Who is getting promoted and what is their background?
• Have you talked to your supervisor about how you feel?
• Have you met with human resources to let them know your career goals and if so have you asked for advice on what you can do now to get that recognition or to better prepare yourself for that next raise or promotion?
• What is the quality of your work and what is your track record with your daily attitude and interactions with others?
• Are there budgetary concerns that your employer is facing that are prohibiting recognition?

If you can honestly answer that you are truly a stellar employee and are being overlooked you have a decision to make;

1. Stay and continue to build your skills/experience and hope for a different result;
2. Talk to your supervisor or human resources about how much you enjoy your job and working for the company but want to go to that next level and would appreciate any advice they can give…. and then take action;
3. Think hard about whether this is the right time to look elsewhere.

Prospective employer:

1. How strong is your resume and cover letter?  Hiring officials will spend mere seconds reviewing both so it’s critical that this first impression is a strong one;
2. Are you applying for jobs where you truly meet 75% or more of what they are seeking?
3. Are you known for your expertise in your community or industry?
4. Competition- remember you aren’t the only one applying for a particular job and other applicants may bring stronger backgrounds and with more online recruitment efforts your competition is possibly coming from great distances.

I leave you with two thoughts:
First is to never let anyone rent space in your head, especially negative space. Know your worth and figure out how to get others to know it as well.  If you need to ask for help from someone not closely related to your situation that can maintain a neutral stance and be objective do so.
Secondly, don’t give up.   Whether you stay with your current employer or are seeking a change, be patient.   Success comes with hard work, consistent effort and sometimes it just takes time for the opportunity that is right for you to present itself.

2014 is nearing an end, did you set goals last January to accomplish for this year? 
* If you did, what has been accomplished?
* What has yet to be tackled and can it be yet this year?
* What are the reasons some goals have been left untouched? 
         * Time?
         * Budgetary reasons?
         * Goal no longer relevant?
         * Loss of motivation to accomplish the goal?
To be successful in checking off your goals, whether short term or long term, you must have a commitment to doing what it takes to achieve the ones you set.  
Take time in 2015 to think through what makes sense in your personal and professional life to accomplish and what it will take to do so.  
Setting short term goals is the best way to start, but in order to be successful in achieving those goals or any other goal, they must be realistic and measurable!


Realistic: is this goal something that can truly be accomplished by you in the timeframe that you have set?
Measureable: how will you know if you have achieved your goal if it cannot be measured in some way?
Example
WEAK: get a new job this year
BETTER: explore career fields this year  for the career that I want to have by researching  the necessary education, experience and special training that is required.
STRONG:

1. in the first quarter of 2015 explore career fields that interest me for my next career move.
2. in the second quarter of 2015 research the necessary education, experience and special training that is required by looking up job postings in that field, getting involved in professional associations relating to that field, volunteering in the industry and networking with those working in this field to broaden my idea of what the job requires.  
3. in the third and fourth quarter of 2015 start taking action, reconsider goals and update as necessary.

Consider using a career coach who can first work with you on assessing your skills, interest, aptitude for different career paths and/or upward movement in your current field.  A career coach can help you define the best career fields for you, assist in identifying the market for that career and the steps to take in order to be a viable candidate for when an opportunity arises.
Just as goals aren't accomplished overnight, your career planning also takes time and effort……… but you don't have to go it alone.  
Staying on target with your goals requires first that you set goals that make sense for you and next that you stay committed towards doing what it takes to accomplish that goal.