David E. Perry's Blog, page 5

Move Up Inside Before Going Outside

If you're currently employed, why not ask your manager about the possibility of creating a new job that suits you better? Or, ask your co-workers to see if any job functions were created for them. You might be pleasantly surprised by what you find!

 

Here are two ways to create a new job in your current company.

 

1) Add Value

“Adding value is the single most powerful personal attribute you can possess,” says Les McKeown, President & CEO of success-at-work.com and author of numerous books on career achievement.

 

Did you ever hand a job or task to someone, knowing you would have to go back over it once they finished, to fix the inevitable errors and generally “mop up” after them?

 

“People who add value are just the opposite. You *know* when you give them a task that it will be completed on time, the way you want it, with no loose ends or unfinished parts,” says McKeown.

 

However, really successful “value adders” see the completion of an allocated task as only the starting point.

 

Maybe it’s by turning an event into a process. Example: not just clearing up a filing mess, but putting a filing system in place to avoid future backlogs.

 

“In whatever form it shows itself, naturally successful people consistently and appropriately add value -- all the time,” says McKeown.

 

 

2) Become an Expert

A sure-fire way to increase your value on the job is to keep learning. This can be as complex as getting your MBA or as simple as reading a book every week.

 

Whatever you do to increase your expertise, make sure your boss knows about it! Completing training, such as Microsoft’s MCSE certification, can make it more likely that you'll be rewarded appropriately in your next performance review.

 

Here’s an example from the field of medicine.

 

I’m told the average physician makes $160,000 per year. Not bad. But I know a liver specialist in Michigan who makes $500,000 and lives in a house the size of an airplane hanger. He’s a recognized expert. And he’s rewarded appropriately.

 

What subject can you become an expert in for your employer?

 

 

3) Be There Every Day

Can 80% of success really come just from showing up, to paraphrase Woody Allen?

 

In the minds of many, the answer is “yes!”

 

“I still remember my first promotion with a mixture of pride and amusement,” says McKeown.

 

“I was a young kid back in Ireland, and I had a paper-route before school. I needed the money and never missed a morning.”

 

“After 3 months, the owner pulled me aside and said: ‘Les, I’m going on vacation for three weeks. I want you to be in charge. I’ll give you an extra five shillings every week.”

 

When McKeown asked his manager why he had been chosen over older, more-experienced newsboys, he got this reply: “Simple. You’re always there. That means more to me than anything else. I wanted piece of mind on vacation. I knew you’d be there every morning.”

 

Are you THERE every day for your employer? If so, you may find your steady presence makes you more valuable than less-dependable co-workers.

 

Action Step: By adding value, becoming an expert, and “being there” every day, you can make yourself indispensable to any employer. Which can lead to faster promotions, keys to the executive washroom -- whatever it is that defines career success for you.

Compliments of David E Perry and Kevin Donlin. For more creative job search tactics, go to the Guerrilla Marketing for job hunters blog and download the free audio CD.

Write Down -- And Follow -- A Job Search Plan

The successful job search all boils down to one word -- synergy.

 

Synergy is defined as “the interaction of two or more agents so that their combined effect is greater than the sum of their individual effects.”

 

Synergy explains the difference between John, Paul, George and Ringo (individual musicians) and The Beatles (a magical combination).

 

Most job seekers apply for positions haphazardly -- sending out an email resume for this opening, a printed resume for that one, sometimes following up and most often not.

 

But you’ll get far better results -- and create synergy -- if you first write out a job search calendar, to schedule your efforts over the next 60-90 days. Then, follow your plan and systematically use as many tactics as possible for each job you apply for. Organizing your efforts this way will focus your job search, like sunlight through a magnifying glass.

 

Here’s how to create synergy and job search magic, in 5 easy steps.

 

 

Step 1 -- Choose your target job

You can do so by picking a job title (example: Sales Manager) or skill set to shoot for (example: sales, marketing, management). No target job = no results in your job search. Because you can’t score if you don’t have a goal.

 

 

Step 2 -- Choose your tactics

There are many. Among the most effective is networking with your personal and professional contacts. Let people know you’re in the job market and tell them what you’re looking for. Then ask this question: “Who do you know that I should be talking to?” This one question can double or triple the size of your network.

 

Other job hunting tactics include submitting your resume to online job postings, the newspaper classifieds, recruiters and temp agencies. But try to spend 80% of your time networking.

 

 

Step 3 -- Plan your work.

Create a job search calendar. This time of year, you can get free wall calendars from many stores and businesses. Any calendar will do, so long as there’s room to write brief notes for each day.

 

Map out the next 30-90 days with specific goals for every day, such as visiting 5 Web sites, calling 10 networking contacts and mailing 7 resumes.

 

Post your job search calendar prominently. Then …

 

 

Step 4 -- Work your plan.

Devote at least 3-5 hours a day to your job search if you’re currently employed, and 5-8 hours a day if you’re unemployed.

 

Recognize that your job search is a job in itself, the most important one you have right now. And that means you look for work EVERY day, Monday through Friday. Because just one day skipped per week equals a 20% loss in output. You can’t afford that.

 

 

Step 5 -- Fail your way to a new job.

As you follow your job search plan and contact all those people every day, you’re going to hear one word more than any other: “No.”

 

Learn to embrace failure like Thomas Edison, who “failed” 10,000 times before inventing the light bulb. He said: “Every wrong attempt discarded is another step forward.”

 

Every “no” you hear in your job search is another step closer to the one “yes” you need to get that position you really want. It’s simply a numbers game. Take heart in this fact.

 

-=-=-=-

 

Action Step: By following this five-step formula, you can create synergy, magic and the job offer you’re dreaming about.

Compliments of David E Perry and Kevin Donlin. For more creative job search tactics, go to the Guerrilla Marketing for job hunters blog and download the free audio CD.

Reject Rejection

Your response to a letter of rejection may, incredibly, get you the job, according to California-based James Adams, a career expert and former job-search consultant to the U.S. government.

 

"I was consulted by a woman who interviewed very well for a position, but still got a letter of rejection after applying. Most people would have torn up the letter and gone on to other things," says Adams.

 

Instead, Adams told her to write a gracious reply, thanking the company for their time and reaffirming her strong desire to work for them.

 

Did it work?

 

"The top contender for the position had to relocate on short notice. The hiring panel remembered the letter they got from the really eager and pleasant woman who replied to their rejection letter. She got the job," says Adams.

 

 

Action Step: Write a polite reply to every rejection notice you get. Thank the company for their time and restate your strong desire to work for them.

 

One more thing, I would suggest you include a final sentence requesting that the hiring manager(s) pass your name on to other fine companies who may be looking for talented employees.

 

Say something like this: “Because you saw enough value in my background to consider me for this position, would you be so kind as to pass my name and resume on to anyone you know who would benefit from my skills and experience? Thank you very much in advance!”

 

Compliments of David Perry and Kevin Donlin

Grab your Free Guerrilla Job Search Audio here.

Compliments of David E Perry and Kevin Donlin. For more creative job search tactics, go to the Guerrilla Marketing for job hunters blog and download the free audio CD.

Realize The Awesome Size Of Your Network

Did you know there’s an army of volunteers -- 62,500 people strong -- sitting right under your nose, waiting to send you job leads?

 

It’s true.

 

Now. do you think you MIGHT get an interview or two every week if you had 62,500 pairs of eyes and ears on the lookout for job openings?

 

Well, you do! Because, according to most research, the average person is acquainted with about 250 other people. And those 250 people know 250 more. Multiply the two and you get 62,500 people, enough to fill Ross-Ade Stadium at the University of Purdue.

 

This huge figure is the true value of your network. Because it’s not just who YOU know, it’s who THEY know. That’s what counts.

 

So right now -- today -- please do these 3 things.

 

Step 1) Write down the name of every single person you know, from friends and family to casual acquaintances. That includes your CPA, attorney, hair stylist, manicurist, pastor, dentist, banker, real estate agent, neighbors and pastor, to name just a few.

 

Put special emphasis on listing affluent people (most wealthy people own their own business or know someone who does) and centers of influence (local leaders who know the movers in shakers in town, like pastors, superstar real estate agents and attorneys).

 

Don’t stop writing until you have at least 250 names.

 

 

Step 2) Contact 10 people a day for the next 25 days and say these words when you call or write: “I’m looking for a position where I can help a ___ company with my expertise in ____. Who do you know that I should be talking to?” Try to get at least 3 names from each person.

 

Be sure to thank your contacts for every name they give you. Then, ask each contact to please pass your name and number on to anyone they think of later whom you might be able to help.

 

(Notice, you’re not begging for a job here. You’re offering to help a company with your expertise. Big difference. And it gives you the enthusiasm that encourages others to respond.)

 

 

Step 3) Pick up the phone, call each potential job lead and follow this script: “My friend, Joe Jones, in Chicago told me to give you a call. I’m a manufacturing manager in Minneapolis and Joe said you would know who to talk to for advice. For the past ___ years I’ve specialized in ____ and I’m looking for a company that needs to get the most out of its ____. Who do you know that I should be talking to?”

 

If that person can’t help you directly, he or she should give you the name of someone who can.

 

Use of a script is important, since you can practice until it flows naturally. And be sure to stand up when you make your phone calls -- this gives your voice an extra dose of vitality, a definite plus.

 

 

Action Step: It’s not who YOU know, but who THEY know – that’s what you should focus on. Doing so will help you tap into the HUGE power of your network, right now.

 

Compliments of David E Perry and Kevin Donlin. For more creative job search tactics, go to the Guerrilla Marketing for job hunters blog and download the free audio CD.

Never job hunt alone!

Job hunting need not be a lonely isolating ordeal.  It can actually be a little fun [yup I'm serious here].  IMHO everyone should have a job-search buddy.  The main objective of your "buddy" is to keep you motivated and honest with yourself.   

 

Few people can work well in isolation, [cave men like me are an exception] but that's exactly what happens when you're looking for a job.  You're typically sitting at home night and day doing research, making calls, and writing letters. Life can become very lonely very quickly. sometimes it's tough to stay motivated.  I think it's important to have someone else to bounce ideas off who will make a "big deal" over your daily accomplishments, because you're not likely to do it for yourself.
-  Your buddy can be looking for a job too but that's not a necessity.
-  The number one rule: be honest with each other.
-  When someone is slacking off, the buddy needs to ask why and try and help work through the blockage.
-  Your buddy needs to hold you accountable, for both the quality and quantity of leads you are following.
-  Your buddy's main jobs are to point out opportunities you may have missed, and to keep you motivated.

Compliments of David E Perry and Kevin Donlin. For more creative job search tactics, go to the Guerrilla Marketing for job hunters blog and download the free audio CD.

Secrets to success

"There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, learning from failure." - Colin Powell, Retired 2-Star General & Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff

Guerrilla Job Hunters ask themselves each morning, "What action can I take today to make my job search more effective?"  Need some inspiration?  Grab your Free CD of recession-proof Guerrilla Job Search tips right now!

Compliments of David E Perry and Kevin Donlin. For more creative job search tactics, go to the Guerrilla Marketing for job hunters blog and download the free audio CD.

6 Steps To Become Amazingly Inspirational | SimonStapleton.com

How often have you met someone truly inspirational who spurred you to do something great? Imagine being amazingly inspirational to others – how would that make you feel?

via www.simonstapleton.com

Simon - truly inspirational. I'm redirecting it to people on the GM4JH web site. - Thanks for writing this. short and sweet.

“Guerrilla Marketing for Job Hunters” breaks 1 million mark.

Yesterday Guerrilla Marketing for Job Hunters surpassed the 1 million mark.  Google revealed that a search for “Guerrilla Marketing for Job Hunters” returned 1,010,000 page references.

 

You may laugh, but I think it’s a big deal.  I can still remember when McDonald’s declared “more than a million served” – okay so I’m showing my age.   I know Lady Gaga and Bieber have a billion but it’s a start AND honestly what’s more popular GAGA or a book that tells you how to take control of your life and get a great job?  GAGA of course!

Of course the real test is what are the numbers for my mentor’s book?  Dick Bolles and What Color is Your Parachute is the reason I became a head-hunter.  After reading Richard’s book I created a self-help group with my friends and actually placed 23 of them before I naively thought I could do this for a living ... but that’s another story. 

So while Parachute remains the most popular seller on Amazon, clearly people are talking about the guerrilla books too [there are three editions now... I got that idea from Dick... I’m just not as prolific.] 

And Dick is ever the gentleman.  Here is the cover quote from the first edition of Guerrilla Marketing for Job Hunters in 2005:

This is an immensely helpful book, with the ancient wisdom of recruiters, and the up-to-date insights of two skilled Internet surfers. If you're job-hunting, you’ll be grateful to learn the tips and tricks of these two seasoned veterans. I learned a lot myself."

-Richard N. Bolles, author, What Color Is Your Parachute?

We feel great that people are landing jobs faster because of the book.  Our Guerrilla Job Search methods have already passed the test in some of the toughest cities in America, like Detroit where one man landed a 6-figure job just 8 days after hearing us speak. Three others whom we tracked landed just 7 weeks later – 5 times faster than the national average of 38 weeks [9½ months]. 

Read that back – 5 times faster than the national average of 38 weeks.  Why should your family or friends have to look for a job for 9 months?  Imagine if everybody in America had this information.  How much faster would this recession be over! 

Here are a few highlights from the last 6 years:

Kiplinger’s Best of 2010 Award: the first time a non-finance book was chosen.
Commentary from the Jaded Hacks at the New York Post.  Praise from New Yorkers is great.  High praise from BRIAN MOORE is golden as he writes Jaded hacks with little remorse for the ordinary. 
The Wall Street Journal TV interview with Sarah Needleman was what really lifted the book. 
Fortune Magazine’s Cover Story didn't hurt though. What started as a request for a single coment for a 300 word piece evolved into the cover story for writer-reporter Jia Lynn Yang,
Fortune’s #1 piece on Yahoo.
Television interview on Tech Now.
After a ‘frosty’ reception here’s what Heald College’s career coaches really thought of us in San Francisco.
A 58 year old bank president’s story 6 offers in 6 weeks.
This Guerrilla Job Search Boot Camper’s 42 cent solution
345 Amazon reviews.  No job search book has ever had as many 5 & 4 Star reviews.
Even John Tesh likes us.  Who’d a thunk?.

And of course the guys who brought you the Starbucks coffee cup caper, the Trojan Thank You Note and Networking with the newly departed are the same guys who were the first to integrate Microsoft’s TAG technology tp ever-green the book.

 

The secret to finding a suitable job today lies in mastering the digital search environment used by employers.  A rapid transformation in hiring practices has gone unnoticed by those looking for work.

Every year, 50-million jobs are filled in the United States  --  almost all without a job posting  because employers can’t deal with the avalanche of resumes they get.  Today, employers are relying on a brand new digital suite of tools and tactics to find the handful of “most qualified” recruits that they want to interview.”

Taking control of your employment is especially important in today’s demographic because so many people are looking for new kinds of work  -  work that has meaning for them.  Our population is getting older  –  for the first time, there will be more people over 65 than under 5  -- and older people are more reflective: they want to know they are doing something meaningful.  Our book helps provide a catalyst for their productivity.

The nature of work is also changing, as people seek control.  A new business model for the 21st century is arising.  Enjoyment-based motivation, namely how creative a person feels when working on the project, is the strongest and most pervasive drive for workers today. When you are in control of your work there is the pure joy of creating. 

As the economy moves toward more right-brain, conceptual work, the motivators need to change as well:  to those stressing self-satisfaction and self-motivation. More and more people are working to their own tune: 15 million people telecommute every day…a large part of the workforce beyond the gaze of a manager.  These kinds of jobs require confident self-driven control of employment.

 

In short,

“in a digital age, you master the digital stage.”

Get gueriila today with a FREE audio CD on social networking. 

 

The 5 world events that changed job-hunting forever

Here are the 5 events which will impact your job hunting the most over the next 10 years.

The advent of the Internet
The most obvious event that has changed job-hunting is the advent of the Internet.  In the old days people would wait for the Sunday paper and check the classified section to see who was hiring or they’d simply ask their friends and neighbors if they knew of any job openings.  Now, thanks to instant communications and round-the-clock access you can research companies and job-hunt anytime at more than 42,000 job boards and 500,000 corporate web sites.  You can network with total strangers, thousands of miles from home, in your pajamas.

 

Enron, the dotcom bubble, and ethics
The dotcom bubble burst when investors suddenly realized companies needed to make a profit to stay in business.  In a virtual one-two-punch the scandals at Enron accelerated the changing relationship between employers and employees.  Basic business principles have gone wrong, ethics have been forgotten and profit became the new god.  Employees today do not see their top executives as being people of high integrity.  A post-Enron survey found that 58 per cent of workers thought that top executives were only looking out for themselves.  Business violated the old social contract: ‘Be loyal and we will take care of you’.  Employees feel they are responsible for their own welfare—companies don’t care.   Today’s businesses are increasingly “knowledge-based” and need the active involvement of their employees at a time when there has been huge forced turnover in staff.  Consequently, loyalty is low and involvement uncertain – many people now think like “free-agents.  Clearly this is not your daddy’s company anymore.

9/11
The horrific events of September 11th 2001 have changed the face of America.  America has always been seen as a destination for immigrants eager to build a better life, safe from the ravages of war which have plagued Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East.   Because of the events of 9/11, immigration has been tightened.   Immigrants bring with them a diverse set of talents, abilities and skills that America will rely on more in the next decade as skill requirements of new jobs rise and our population ages.  For more than 200 years immigration has fueled growth in America and shored up skilled worker shortages.  We suggest the events of 9/11 altered the mix of people America allows into the country and therefore unwittingly slowed the natural growth of the economy.  Some have speculated that this will increase the offshoring of jobs from within all of the G8 nations. 

Retiring Baby-boomers
Just as America is emerging from recession, a major event is poised to erase all the productivity gains of the last few years and cripple growth across every sector of the economy – baby-boomers are retiring in unprecedented numbers.  With 76 million baby boomers heading toward retirement...and only 46 million Generation X players waiting in the wings, America is facing a mammoth talent crunch.   In the very near future, there will be 15% fewer Americans in the 35 to 45-year-old range than there are now. At the same time, the U.S. economy is likely to grow at a rate of 3% to 4% per year.   Who will do the work?

Tiananmen Square
The western world’s reaction to Tiananmen Square has helped to put China on the road to democracy and with it, the opening of the single largest market in the world. Most of China’s one billion people live in conditions not unlike those in the early 1900’s in America.  Shortly there will be a growing demand for everything modern. China will strain the world’s resources in agriculture, manufacturing, energy, transportation, natural resources, education and medicine.   You can benefit by working for those companies who will assist China in designing and expanding their infrastructure.

Compliments of David E Perry and Kevin Donlin. For more creative job search tactics, go to the Guerrilla Marketing for job hunters blog and download the free audio CD.

Please don't Fart: Job Search Blunders

I was suddenly reminded last night that there are a few things you just can't get away with in an interview.  Farting is on the top of my list.  My fee was lost in less time than it took to find fresh air. 

Besides ruining the atmosphere and clearing the room the shock factor is too great for most to get over.... especially if you're a stunning redhead with a flawless resume.

If this comes as a great surprise let me tell you a few other things you can't do during an interview:

after gazing at the picture on the mangers desk - tell him his wife is hot [even if she is]
ask to borrow money to pay for parking
excessively wipe the seat your about to sit in
take a bathroom break
refer to his secretary as "toots"
pick your nose
offer to share your sandwich
ask for a swig of their coke
make a big deal about suddenly realizing your fly is down.

I offer these tips up in the hope you will pass it on to your job hunting friends and candidates.

I will never be able to enjoy a cinnamon dolce latte grandee again - the memory will linger for ever.

The new global America for job hunters

“It’s not the strongest of the species, nor the most intelligent, that survive; it’s the one most responsive to change.” - Charles Darwin

Under siege from layoffs, outsourcing, off-shoring, rightsizing, downsizing and bankruptcies, America is in the midst of a profound business transformation.  It’s the result of developments in information and communications technologies, changing human values and the rise of the global knowledge-based economy. The sheer complexity and technical sophistication of business has transformed the job market - not just here in America, but around the world. Business is becoming knowledge-based as well as technology intensive. 

 

Knowledge workers are now the backbone of America. They are employed in all sectors of the economy, most prominently in the information technology and communications sectors, but also to a growing extent in healthcare, manufacturing, education, finance, natural resources, defense and government—in any field that requires innovation to sustain competitiveness. Competitive advantage is rooted in the new ideas of these skilled workers.

Of the 120 million skilled workers in America today, 24-40 million change jobs every year.  Many people needlessly drift in and out of dead-end jobs because they don’t know which industries have a future in this new America, or how to present their value in the right terms to the people who can hire them. 

Already reeling from outsourcing and the struggling economy, competition for the remaining U.S. jobs is tougher than ever, the rules for getting them have changed, and global competition will ensure the rules will change again tomorrow. 

To succeed in the new world of work, you must have a plan.  The plan must be clear and detailed in every way.  It must be:

 Clever;
Results driven;
 Marketing oriented;         
 Inexpensive to execute;
 Realistic; and
 Achievable

No government agency, educational institution or think tank has a genuine crystal ball to make a call on the future; there are simply too many unknown factors when it comes to industry and job creation. One thing is certain, whether you are employed but unhappy, or unemployed and in need of a new opportunity; you as a job-hunter are at a strategic fork in the road. 

Are you ready to take control of your  life?   Are you  ready to become a Guerrilla Job Hunter?

Compliments of David E Perry and Kevin Donlin. For more creative job search tactics, go to the Guerrilla Marketing for job hunters blog and download the free audio CD.