Keep moving in a positive job search direction.

Job searching is challenging, emotional, time consuming, stressful and depressing. It can be a rocky road that plays out within the family environment affecting everyone in your home in some way or another. It’s a time when active support and guidance is required to open up new job search channels and travel from unemployed to hired, in the shortest period of time.

As a Certified Job Search Strategist, a major component of my work with a client is emotional support, keeping them active, and exploring all options in a competitive environment with checks and balances. It’s a turbulent time, high on the stress scale and even worse if you have been terminated. Here are some suggestions:

¬ Don’t hide or hunker down in your house. Get outside; come rain or shine, for at least 30 minutes each day. Fresh air helps to re-energize you.

¬ Look for volunteering opportunities, preferably not political, or religious. Although time consuming, you can gain valuable knowledge. It also shows a potential employer that you are willing to give your time for free, that you are caring, sharing, and willing to assist others in need. Your contributions for free are always appreciated. Also, you never know who you will meet, perhaps a person who can be influential in your career. Networking is an integral element of a job search.

¬ Stay clear of alcohol and other depressants. If you are in need of professional or emotional support, seek it fast! If you feel tired, angry or discouraged give yourself permission to take a break from the arduous job search.

¬ Return to college or university; life should be one continuous learning exercise. Develop new skills, something that a future employer will applaud. The more trained and knowledgeable you are, the more opportunities for employment. Continuous education is great to show on a résumé.

¬ Celebrate triumphs. After each interview, invite your friends to a party and have fun. With each party you host, you are closer to the big job success celebration where you can really relax.

¬ Bypass miserable, negative, and pessimistic people. Connect with positive, supportive, driven, and energetic people who strive for success and are willing to provide proactive guidance and support throughout the job search process.

¬ Network, network, network! This should be a prime focus. Get out there and introduce yourself to others within your defined area of expertise and build positive, meaningful relationships with other professionals.

¬ Engage in inspirational and energetic activities. Join a gym or play sports or become an active participant in your community.

¬ Ask your closest friends for support. There is a reason they are your friends and they can reiterate to you the many exceptional qualities you possess, providing you with the inspiration needed to pursue your job search through thick and thin.

Finally, be realistic about a job search; it takes patience and determination. Make it fun!

Martin Buckland is a Professional Career Management Expert with offices in the U.S. and Canada. President of Elite Resumes, he is certified in resume writing, executive & career coaching, job search strategies, personal branding and interview coaching. He has extensive knowledge of the best strategies to secure a job most effectively and is well networked with recruiters and human resource professionals across North America. For more information on his services view: www.aneliteresume.com or call 905-825-0490

Networking 101

Creating your image, building your presence, and conducting your conversation in an effective and professional way are key elements in successful networking.

First impressions count!

Meeting with a group of strangers can be intimidating and challenging. Initiating a conversation with people already actively involved in conversing with one another can be even worse. Here are some techniques I use effectively when networking:

¬ Be relaxed when standing by yourself and don’t feel rushed to interact.

¬ Get some food and drink.

¬ Observe, watch for signs that a conversation is lagging in momentum. Look for eye contact; one person in the group might either recognize you or want to leave. You could be the candidate to fill the void.

¬ If a group appears to be engaged with good eye contact and positive body language, then step away from their immediate vision and look around for new opportunities.

¬ If you are keen to join this particular group because you want to meet with a specific person, wait at a distance without showing signs of hovering. Watch for signs of the conversation changing and waning.

¬ Often, someone else will join you. If this occurs, share with them your intentions, elicit their support and take them into the group with you. Once the intensity of the conversation has changed walk into the group and professionally introduce yourself with a firm handshake and look directly into the eyes of the person you are connecting with.

¬ Show interest in others. This is what makes networking so beneficial and powerful. Even if others don’t express an interest in you, ask questions, appear to be excited about their lives, and what they are looking for. You never know who they know or who can be influential in assisting you with a name that can open doors to a potential new career or position.

¬ Do not change the tone or steal the conversation from another person.

¬ If you are anxious to meet a particular person, say so. “I’ve been keen to meet you for sometime, but I can see you are busy right now. May I give you my business card? May I have yours? I’ll connect with you next week for a chat.”

¬ Normally, I only exchange business cards with others if I am asked or have a strong connection with someone.

¬ Finally, the bottom line for me is to have fun, listen, learn, and share something useful.

There is a saying: “What goes around comes around!” How true.

Martin Buckland, President of Elite Resumes, is a leading resume writer, career coach and job search strategist with a global clientele. Martin utilizes his 17 years of expertise to work interactively with senior level clients and those who aspire to be business leaders to initiate and develop career marketing strategies during their career transitions. Martin currently holds the following certifications: Master Resume Writer, Certified Professional Branding Strategist, Certified Professional Resume Writer, Certified Employment Interview Professional, Job and Career Transition Coach, Certified Job Search Trainer and Co-Pilot Executive Coach. www.aneliteresume.com, email: martin@aneliteresume.com, call 905-825-0490 or toll free 866-773-7863

I’m in my fifties - should I hide my age in a resume?

I could speak for a long time on this subject, there are so many differing opinions. It’s a question that repeats itself at every presentation I facilitate.

Your age is not something you can hide from; at some stage or other during the job search process you will have to stick your head above water and the truth will be there for all to see.

I see numerous résumés each day. As a Master Résumé Writer, I am instantly able to detect a person’s age, or, more importantly, is he/she telling the truth? Employers know all the tricks.

Leaving off education, or the dates of employment and education raises red flags with human resource professionals and recruiters, too! Another sign is when a person starts his/her career as a General Manager or Vice-President. Come on, this doesn’t happen! Don’t consider lying about your age, you will be finished. Disguising it is bad enough.

I receive constant feedback from human resource professionals and recruiters stating that if they think a person is masking their age because they feel they are too old, then maybe they are too old to adequately fill any appointment. Interesting!

A resume is an honest document; it succinctly portrays your career history and tells the potential employer how great you have been throughout your career. Be upfront about your age. Instead of viewing age as a barrier to finding a job, promote your wealth of experience. Yes, people do discriminate for age but they also discriminate because of your background, culture, or the colour of your hair. In short, if they are discriminatory would you want to work for them?

I’m finding as a career management professional the age issue is somewhat not as hot a topic that it was even two years ago. View the experience you have gained with age as an asset, one that sets you above the competition. You have the skills, maturity, talents, background and a work ethic that cannot always be found today. Leverage your distinct advantages, convey to an employer through a powerful and honest resume that you have the values and you are anxious to be appointed!

Many of my clients are in the 55 plus range and graduated way back in the 1960s; however, I have told the full story, consolidating their early career and all have secured new positions. Yes, it’s harder the older you are, but everything is within reach.

I have recently been made aware of several occasions where an interview has been curtailed as a result of potential employees pulling the wool over the employers eyes simply by trying to look like a 38 year old instead of their true age of 52 years.

Be proud of your age, you can bring so much to the table. Return to your resume and include all the dates. Focus on the content on your many achievements; sell yourself as the dynamic person of choice. Prove your worth and the interview can be yours!

Martin Buckland is a Career Management Professional based in Oakville, Ontario. President of Elite Resumes, he is certified in resume writing, career coaching, job search strategies, personal branding and interview coaching and is Canada’s only Master Resume Writer. He has extensive knowledge of the best strategies to secure a job most effectively and is well networked with recruiters and human resource professionals across Canada and the United States. For more information on his services view www.aneliteresume.com.

The Elevator Pitch.

An elevator pitch is your chance to make a lasting impression. It serves as a great job search tool that should be practiced and refined constantly. It can be used in a variety of settings; a networking event, riding the bus, in the doctor’s office, a convention, cold calls to potential employers, job interviews and career fairs where its imperative that you make a quick, memorable and decisive impression.

The saying, Practice makes Perfect is true. The more polished and rehearsed you are the better an impression you will make. The Elevator Pitch provides the listener with succinct information a snap shot of your past, and a snap shot of your future.

It should consist of words that are used in your vocabulary frequently and articulated slowly enough for the listeners to comprehend the message.

It emphasizes your uniqueness, your competitive advantage and the benefits you will provide upon your new appointment, coupled with a snap shot of your career history.

An elevator pitch is as essential as a business card. You need to be able to articulate who you are, what you do, what you are looking for and how you can help others.

What is your hook?

A client of mine uses the following line which consistently draws attention: “I am bi-lingual, I speak I.T. and I speak business, I act as the conduit between the two functions.” I’ve watched the audiences as this phase is said, it’s a call to attention. The mesmerizing moment that captures a listener, keeps it exciting.

About 150 to 225 words.

Any longer and it will drag on beyond the 60 second attention span. Keep it brief, make it powerful, and leave a long lasting impression.

Passion.

The energy, motivation and confidence have to be displayed either by the way you carry yourself in-person or through your verbal inflections over the telephone when conducting a cold call.

So what exactly is the recipe for a successful elevator pitch?

Start with your name: Hello, I’m Martin Buckland.

What you do?: I make my clients look seductive! I’m a multiple certified career management professional specializing at the $100,000 plus senior executives or those with an ambition to be $100,000 plus, law enforcement officers and sales and marketing executives. During the last 16 years I have built Elite Resumes into becoming a competitive company with clients in over 60 countries. We have worked with the Brother of the Sultan of Oman, 3 CEO’s of Canada’s financial institutions, and a C-level executive across North America and beyond. I enjoy my work and making people stand above the competition in their job search is my forte!

What are you looking for?: I’m seeking clients looking for new opportunities at the senior executive level, police chiefs and deputies looking for a new career upon retirement and sales leaders with an outstanding record of revenue growth.

If you know of anyone wanting to enhance their careers, please consider referring them. My value add tag line: “I work exclusively with the $100,000 plus executive and those who aspire to be business leaders.”

How I can help you: I have a considerable database of people in influential, decision making positions in all business areas and functions across the world with an emphasis on North America. I am more than willing to share my contacts with you.

 

Finish with your name: Thank you for listening, my name is Martin Buckland.

This is my elevator pitch, at 210 words. Notice the hook? I make people look seductive! It’s a compelling, wake up call and certainly makes people listen to what follows. I have successfully enticed them to listen.

If you want to network successfully, you need an elevator pitch. Write it down and practice your speech in front of the mirror and with friends. Record it and listen to it. The first few times it may be uncomfortable for you, however, it gets easier. Are you comfortable with the verbiage? Is the voice tone and inflection right? Are you confident and engaging? Refine if needed.

Martin Buckland is a Professional Career Management Expert with offices in the U.S. and Canada. President of Elite Resumes, he is certified in resume writing, executive & career coaching, job search strategies, personal branding and interview coaching. He has extensive knowledge of the best strategies to secure a job most effectively and is well networked with recruiters and human resource professionals across North America. For more information on his services view: www.aneliteresume.com or call 1-866-773-7863.

 

Are you a SME?

 Career marketing is hard! People find it difficult to talk confidently and eloquently about themselves. A job search is a stage in life where you have to become bold, brassy and somewhat bombastic without going over the top. It’s a time to make a statement about yourself to prove you have the knowledge, background and education to fit the particular needs of the potential employer. Your expertise has to grab attention first and foremost.

 How can you entice the reader to call you for an interview?

 Make yourself a SME, Subject Matter Expert. We all have a wealth of talent. We also have a niche, function or specialty where peers or management consider us to be an expert and would seek our knowledge and opinions.

 As you proceed through a job search, perceive yourself as an expert. The word expert is very luring to a future employer. They are seeking an expert in a wide variety of disciplines. It’s all about branding, and giving you the value add above your competitors in the search.

 I have portrayed many of my clients as SMEs. Several have felt uncomfortable with this concept but have supported my recommendation. It has reaped significant dividends for them.

 For example, one of my clients quite clearly from the moment I first met him made it obvious that SAP was his forté. This application stood out from all his other software knowledge. During the initial interview he gave me the impression that he knew certain SAP modules inside out. Nowhere in his resume did it say anything about the particular modules he spoke so positively about. In fact, the word SAP was buried in the jungle of IT acronyms and was only mentioned three times in the two page document.

 My client had been distributing his resume through many channels for 17 months with very limited success and culminating in only 2 interviews, well outside the realm of his SAP expertise.

 In writing his resume, I branded him as a SAP expert as follows: 

Christopher Brown, mcp

44 Sandy Way, Oakville, Ontario  L6M 3T6 Phone: 905.515.3333  Cell : 416.888.9999   E mail: christopher.brown@sympatico.ca

SAP Expert

Financial     Manufacturing     Human Resource

modules

 This says it all! How striking to the eye is this? If you were seeking a SAP professional would you read on?

 They did in droves…….! Both Recruiters and Human Resource professionals were attracted by the “Expert” statement. Within weeks of Mr. Brown having his new “Expert” resume, he received numerous calls. Chris interviewed 11 times in two weeks and was offered 7 positions. Needless to say he is happy as an “Expert” and now articulates this to all, and is still receiving interest in his services.

Are you an Expert?

We offer a free no-obligation resume critique.

 Martin Buckland is a Professional Career Management Expert with offices in the U.S. and Canada. President of Elite Resumes, he is certified in resume writing, executive & career coaching, job search strategies, personal branding and interview coaching. He has extensive knowledge of the best strategies to secure a job most effectively and is well networked with recruiters and human resource professionals across North America. For more information on his services view: www.aneliteresume.com or call 1-866-773-7863.