Helene Lerner's Blog, page 203

Be the Best You

Today, I attended the Conference Board’s Women’s Leadership Conference. I heard a wonderful presentation by a panel of State Farm women: Mary Crego (SVP), Carra Simmons (VP), Harolyn Watts (Director), and moderator Sonya Robinson (Agency Executive). Here are a few of my favorite nuggets of wisdom that were shared at the panel:

Honest feedback is critical. We need to give it and receive it.
Both sponsors and mentors are important, but the key is developing a network of relationships over the course of your career—not finding one person who will move your career along.
Listen to your intuition. We all know this, but it is truly so important.
“Immediate forgiveness” is moving forward rather than rehashing uncomfortable events. The latter can be a waste of time. More important things demand your attention.
You are in your power when you are authentic. Be yourself—be the best you!

Thank you, ladies of State Farm!

Dare to Wear: The Other Supply Closet

The snack drawer gets all the glory (emergency chocolate, anyone?), but what about the supply closet? No, not the one with the paper clips and the Post-It notes—we’re talking about the part of your closet dedicated to bailing you out at the office. Whether you’re dealing with climate control or heading to happy hour, keep these five items on hand to stave off any wardrobe malfunctions.

An outer layer. Overzealous air conditioning can leave office buildings feeling chillier in April than in January. Leave a cardigan or light jacket at work for bundling up in the warmer months. We hear red lips are much more flattering than blue.

An inner layer. You know that paralyzing moment when you realize a new blouse is see-through? No, you don’t—you’ve got a neutral tank to throw on underneath! Don’t spill Victoria’s secret. She’s a good friend to have on your side.

Sensible shoes. A sharp stiletto can quickly morph into a sharp pain in the ankle. If you’re running out for coffee (or just running low on pain tolerance), no need to torture yourself. Slip into flats and save your stamina for off-the-clock activities.

Waterproofing. Appreciation for piña coladas notwithstanding, getting caught in the rain can make for one uncomfortable afternoon. A hat, cape, or pashmina to throw on in the case of unexpected downpour will save you a sopping wet seatcushion—or just a bad hair day.

A bitty bag. Your briefcase or gym bag is fine for the commute, but don’t lug that monster to happy hour. A petite clutch can be tucked inside a larger carryall. Wouldn’t it be nice to set your handbag on top of the table you’re drinking yourself under?

—Emma Aubry Roberts

Career Spring Cleaning: Contacts, Contacts Everywhere

Here we are in week three already. Your documents are wrangled. You've renovated your resume, bio, and online profiles. This week, it's time to tackle your contact database (insert loud groan here). If you're like me (and in this case, I hope you're not), you have contacts spread across various databases—a few hundred on Outlook, a few hundred on Gmail, a few hundred on LinkedIn. Having all of your updated contacts in one place is a huge career time-saver, especially if you are job hunting, publishing a newsletter, or maintaining a blog. (And remember, if your contacts are listed online, they belong to the site's owners.)

I have tried (and failed) to maintain my contact database on various “contact management” apps, but overall, I find that one solution rises above the rest: the spreadsheet. Here are a few tips for putting together one of your own.

Get it all together. Apply the “Export” function (usually found under "Tools") to all of your contact apps, creating spreadsheets—much easier to work from than numerous databases. You can select which “fields” to export as well, so include whichever fields you need. Set up a few separate spreadsheets to begin with, then merge them all into one master document. I sort my contacts alphabetically, then begin the process of purging and updating.

Say "out with the old." How many of your contacts are out-of-date? People change jobs, email addresses, and phone numbers all the time. If you have old email addresses, delete those first, and then update other contact info as needed (you may need to call your contacts for updated info, so hopefully you at least have correct phone numbers!). This step is time-consuming, so depending on your number of contacts, it may take more than a week. But the next time there is an update, you'll be able to easily enter it into your spreadsheet.

Pay regards to your cards. There has been much discussion lately regarding the demise of the business card—one camp believes their time has passed, while the other side strongly disagrees. I have no opinion on the debate, but I do have stack of business cards that need to be entered into my database! I have used card scanners in the past, but they're not that reliable, especially for creative and colorful business cards. I can type pretty fast, so these days I just enter card info by hand. If you have many cards to enter, set a goal of 10 per day until you get through the stacks.

Import away! At the end of this process, you will have a master spreadsheet that is ready to import into the app of your choice (I use Gmail). I also recommend backing up this document on a flash drive or CD. Another great feature of the master spreadsheet is the ability to create specific contact databases for targeted emailing, such as newsletters or announcements. If you need a refresher on working with spreadsheets, you can find many free resources and tutorials online.

Whew! I had planned to cover networking this week as well, but your organizing your contacts should be enough to keep your hands full. Remember how organized you'll feel when it's over, and treat this step like a major accomplishment—because it is!

Last Week: Resume Renovation

Next Week: Organize Your Networking

—Kristi Enigl, Global Career Coach

Create Change with Kindness

Today, as I walked to the pool for my early morning swim, I was awestruck by the beauty of the rising sun. I stood for a moment and took in its warmth. I thought to myself, "Let my light shine. Let it begin with me."

Never forget the Power of One.  When one person reaches out to another person with kindness, lives can be changed, and this can have a rippling effect. As you start your day, offer a random act of kindness to someone who doesn't expect it. Be the change you wish to see in the world.

Have an empowering day!

Career Coach: The 411 on Recruiters (from a Recruiter!)

Many candidates employ the services of a recruiter, or headhunter, to assist them in finding new opportunities while job hunting. Using a recruiter can give you an edge, but as with many things in life, the outcome will be more advantageous with some research and planning. There are many types of recruiters, from freelance and contingency (paid upon candidate placement) to retained and in-house. One thing they all have in common, though? They work for their client.

Know recruiters do call. The sheer volume of available candidates impacts a recruiter's ability to contact every person. Since most recruiters get paid upon placement, if your resume is a 90% match to one of their current openings, they will reach out to you. Trust me! The key is that your resume must rise above hundreds, if not thousands, of others. I only choose resumes that are professional in style and content and provide the info I need in about 10 seconds—and if I'm using an ATS (Applicant Tracking System), your resume must get past that keyword hurdle first. There is a lot riding on your resume when you work with a recruiter, so it's important to get this right.

Keep your talent on lockdown. If your resume is posted far and wide on the Internet - meaning that I can track it down in a few minutes - my clients will not accept it. In fact, my contract has a clause that states I am not allowed to present resumes that are easily accessible on the Internet. Why would a company pay me for something that they can do themselves? When you decide to use a headhunter, remove your resume from the Internet. It may sound counterintuitive, but it will help you in the long run. Companies pay for exclusivity!

Select the best (for you). Limit the number of recruiters that you work with—if your resume is submitted to the same company by multiple recruiters, you may be disqualified. You should employ a strategy of using three recruiters (one local, one national, and one international) and reach out to them once a month via email. The key to using recruiters effectively is to start when you are employed and build ongoing relationships over the course of your career. Research recruiters and search firms that specialize in your industry, and reach out to them via social media. I have relationships with candidates that I have known for many, many years, and when they are back on the job market, they call me.

Get a referral. The single best way to reach a recruiter is to be referred by one of their candidates. If you know someone who was just placed in a new job via a headhunter, be sure to ask them for a recommendation to that recruiter.

Working with a recruiter can prove a major asset to your career. You must come in prepared, though—make sure your online career brand is consistent and professional, have current references, and be honest with the recruiter regarding other opportunities you may have. Make your recruiter's job as easy as possible, and they can help you nail down one of your own.

Last week: Success in Any Economy

Next week: Working Abroad

—Kristi Enigl, Global Career Coach

Fathers Having a Positive Impact

I swim every morning. There is a pool that's part of my apartment complex in New York City. And before I start my workday I am in the water for 20 minutes.

It's Sunday, so my day starts a little later. Today, there was a three-year old girl taking swimming lessons and splashing in the water when I arrived.  Her father was smiling as he waited poolside for her to finish the lesson.

As I swam alongside the young girl, I let her father know that's how I started.  My father taught me to swim around her age. Now, swimming is one of my joys. 

Up until a year ago, my father Max, who is in his 90's, would swim daily. Unfortunately, he can't do that anymore. However, dad instilled in me a love for the sport, and that will always be there.

 

Career Spring Cleaning: Resume Renovation

Welcome to Week Two of Career Spring Cleaning! 'Tis the season to clean out the closets, so I suggest you take some time to "spring clean" your career management tools as well. Last week, we organized our career documents and filing systems, both digital and on paper. Now it's time to update several key documents: resume, bio, and social media profiles.

Resume. Your resume should always be kept up-to-date—you never know when you might need it! Add awards and achievements as they happen rather than trying to recall them at a later time (or start a running document to track them, and do several larger overhauls throughout the year). Believe it or not, resumes are subject to formatting trends, so make sure yours is current—delete dated statements such as "references upon request," and drop the "objective" heading if you haven't already.

Remember that your resume is a marketing tool and should highlight relevant information for your desired opportunity. You have approximately 10 seconds to impress that recruiter or HR manager, and even less to get through the keyword software filter—recruiters only choose well-written resumes! Consulting a professional (if possible) will save you hours and increase your response rate. If you are currently job hunting, be sure to recall where your resume is posted online and remove or update as needed.

Professional biography. I highly recommend you use a professional bio if you have at least two years of work experience. The bio is typically a one-page narrative of your career written in the third person perspective—think of it as your resume in story form. It can be submitted in lieu of a resume, particularly during a confidential job search, or used for networking purposes. A professional headshot is also appropriate on this document, whereas it is not on a resume.

Social media profiles. Do you have several social media (SM) channels that you use for career-related purposes? Be sure to update them for accuracy, uploading your current resume and bio as needed. Are there social media channels you don't use anymore? Delete those old accounts. It is better to use one or two SM channels that are completely filled out and functional than to have a number of incomplete SM channels scattered across cyberspace. Paying attention to your online brand is an essential part of modern career management. Google yourself once a quarter to keep an eye on your online image.

Once you've set up your career documents and SM channels, updating them shouldn't take too long. Conducting an annual spring cleaning of these documents will make year-long maintenance a breeze.

Last Week: Document Wrangling

Next Week: Networking and Contact Databases

—Kristi Enigl, Global Career Coach

Make Time, Not War

[image error]We get it—you're busy. No one has ever been (or will ever be) as busy as you. Between 60-hour work weeks, a strict devotion to CoreFusion, and volunteer work at your local YMCA, the idea of cooking dinner for yourself or meeting friends for a spontaneous midweek bottle of wine is laughable. Don't people understand how busy you are?

We've all experienced weeks where the number of hours in the day seems woefully insufficient, but lately, the reliable catch-all excuse of "too busy" has come under siege. A recent Wall Street Journal article calls us out on our chronic time fog, suggesting that we replace the words, "I don't have time," with, "It's not a priority." We gave it a whirl. We found it enlightening, but unexpectedly and perhaps unwarrantedly jarring in situations where being "busy" is contextual rather than general—when the amount of time you "have" is contingent on circumstance rather than priority.

We're not proposing that we let ourselves entirely off the hook here, particularly when it comes to our habits and our relationships. For general life evaluation and long-term task-setting, the priority question is an useful one. We're simply proposing that we let go of the guilt. We don't need to feel like terrible people for not having time. We just need to think about why we don't have time. We need to transform time from passive to active.

So here's our version of the WSJ's mantra: Time is made, not had.

There are two ways to make time. One is preventative. When you have a moment, spend it wisely. Think of "free time" like a savings account—do what you've gotta do at the first opportunity you get, and save your "free time" for a rainy day. That way, when you get a call that your crew is rallying on a Tuesday night, you can grab your keys and go without hesitation. How often do we miss out because we've already frittered away our "free time" on something that, given the choice, we would have wanted to do less? Jersey Shore is not worth it. We're not saying you have to spend every free moment being social—believe us, we know the healing power of a trash TV marathon! But at least do the important stuff first, so that if something more appealing comes along, you haven't already made your choice.

The second way is training ourselves to bang out the everyday nitty-gritties with more efficiency. This is a big one for the perfectionists among us, for whom the temptation to approach every task with the methodical precision of a neurosurgeon is a concern. You could spend 10 minutes making your bed in the morning—smoothing out every wrinkle, painstakingly folding back the top sheet to peek out from under the comforter just so. But in reality, you could get the same effect in 30 seconds. The room would still look tidy. It would still feel every bit as wonderful to pull back the covers and climb into a swiftly, even sloppily made bed after a long day. And that's nine minutes and 30 seconds you can spend doing something you care about.

Making time is about going from having a to-do list to making a to-do list. When time management feels active rather than passive, you may find that the notion of "fitting it all in" isn't so ill-fitting after all.

—Emma Aubry Roberts

Dare to Taste: Easter Leftovers

There's nothing like a time-consuming, side-splitting holiday feast...and nothing like kicking back and cleaning out your fridge in the days to follow. We're guessing you thought of ham sandwiches already, but here are a few more simple ideas to make leftover dinner a crowd-pleasing winner in its own right.

Chef's salad. A heap of greens makes the perfect base for chopped ham, deviled eggs, and whatever is lurking in your crisper drawer. It may not be the most sinless salad you ever consume, but a bed of greens is a step up from yesterday's scalloped potatoes, right? Drizzle a homemade dressing over top for maximal impact with minimal effort.

Split pea soup. Sunny spring is in full swing, but chilly nights still call for a meal that warms from the inside out. You can throw together a rich, filling soup using a leftover ham hock for flavor. Try this slow-cooker recipe—just load up your crock pot before you leave in the morning, and come home to a hearty helping of comfort food you can bring for lunch all week long.

Pizza. Who doesn't love pizza night? Leftover ham pairs perfectly with tart pineapple chunks, crisp green peppers, and salty olives. Go for a full pie, or set up a "make-your-own" pizza bar using whole wheat pitas or English muffins for a customizable, portion-controlled alternative.

Quiche. Don't be intimidated—whether you attempt granny's famous pie crust or substitute a store-bought alternative (or even go crustless), quiche is just a fancy French word for egg casserole. This recipe incorporates peak-season asparagus for added fiber and flavor. Not up for the assembly (or too hungry to wait an hour for it to bake)? Eggs and ham are a match made in heaven—whisk bite-size chunks into an omelet or egg scramble. Breakfast for dinner is served.

Extra Credit: Easter candy pound cake. No need to let those chocolate bunnies and robin's eggs go stale on your countertop! We love this idea to bake leftover candy into a festive bundt cake. After all, it's a lot harder to put away half a cake in one sitting—and a lot easier to give away home-baked treats at the office. Most popular co-worker, anyone?

—Emma Aubry Roberts

Career Coach: Success in Any Economy

Last week, a reader posed the following question: With lots of downsizing and little opportunity for vertical advancement, how can I stay positive despite all the change?

For many, this economy has brought any number of challenges: high unemployment rates, prolonged job searches, understaffing, and slow career advancement for those lucky enough to be employed. It's easy to get frustrated, but we must remember that despite our best-laid plans, life is rarely a straight path. We just have to do our best to roll with the punches. Here are a few tips I use for staying positive in a recession.

Be visible. Our natural inclination is to hunker down when things get turbulent, but I say swim against the current. Go to happy hour or the company softball game. Attend industry events. Sign up for committees. Volunteer for extra projects at the office. Stepping outside your comfort zone redirects your focus and boosts the opportunities you gain just by being seen.

Market yourself. Not every company is suffering. Be sure to stay on top of industry trends, and go out of your way to network with leaders and decision-makers. Keep in touch with your contacts, and reach out to new connections both in person and online. Update your resume and bio. Maintain your social media channels. Add any new career achievements and accolades - even PowerPoint presentations - to your LinkedIn profile. Think of yourself as the CEO of you.

Go back to school. Take a few courses at a local community college to learn a new language or get up to speed on current technology. Just about every city offers professional meet-ups with seminars on everything from Twitter to SEO. Adding a new skill not only looks great on your resume, but can also do wonders for your confidence.

Give back. I can't say enough about this. Volunteering is good for your community and your soul! Get involved in a neighborhood organization to make an immediate impact.

Staying positive in a challenging economy isn't easy, but remember that tough times don't last—tough people do. Keep your chin up, and know that you'll come out on the other side.