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Ever send an email and as you’re clicking “ok” or “send” or “enter” you realize, almost in slow motion (a sound effect or comedic impression which I will not attempt to spell here), that you were sending it the wrong person??? Or that you had a seriously incriminating error, or embarassing typographic mistake, or were forwarding to someone instead of replying to someone else?

Sure, you have. And the more frequently you use email (especially Outlook, with that PESKY auto-fill address field!), the more risk you run of experiencing a meltdown.

Ever wish you could hit a couple of keystrokes and erase the last thing you did? Sending the wrong email, and wishing you could retract it with a simple “Ctrl + Z” clicks? Unfortunately, life doesn’t work like that. But, in regards to that business function that’s become intrinsic to professional success (email), there is some help available!

I just read “Send: The Essential Guide to Email for Office and Home” but David Shipley and Will Schwalbe. They have a pretty neat little blog/site, too at ThinkBeforeYouSend.

The book makes some excellent points about why, culturally, we’re prone to being a bit too informal when emailing, we tend to misread tone and intention, and why we often expect things to happen a lot faster, simply because of the convenience of sending an electronic mail.

I’m not going to paraphrase their book, but I HIGHLY recommend it. I’m going to go so far as to say that if you don’t have a business writing course while in college, you should read this prior to, or during, your internship or first job. It’s important to get a primer on etiquette, even if, like me, you’re a part of the technologically-advanced generation.

I promise, you won’t want to “Ctrl + Z” your time spent reading the book. (ha. ha.)

Technorati Tags: Send, Email Etiquette, Will Schwalbe, David Shipley, retractions

Busy Busy CM Access–welcoming two new team members in our Philly office–YAY.

But they’re now able to see the joys of being at the other end of a job posting: misdirected applications, three page cover letters, and my personal favorites: “Dear To Whom it may concern” and “I’m a perfect accusation for your team.”

But I wanted to comment again on why spelling is so important when communicating with anyone who will be involved in your career development or job search. It’s culturally significant that e-mail and texting and instant messaging is such a big part of daily activities. But that means we need to be more aware of how we are perceived to the receiver.

Just like online dating. The online job search is just like online dating. (and in a broader sense, the whole process is: both situations should include a variety of tactics and approaches, not just e-mail or chat).

Maybe spelling isn’t a big deal for you. You don’t mind if someone has a typo, or if they use a word incorrectly. But there are people who do mind, and you’d never know it.

So err on the side of caution and have someone else read your resume, your e-mail cover letter, your dating profile. Nowadays, misspelling is hard to differentiate from typos, and both look like laziness.

Would you hire someone who’s lazy? Would you want to date someone who doesn’t take the time to put their best foot forward? If you’re not taking yourself seriously enough to take the time to spell-check, grammar-check, and get a second opinion, why should anyone else?

Technorati Tags: spelling, online dating, effort, second opinion

I’ve mentioned before that the job search should not be a periodic stress in your life, but instead, a lifelong process of career management. That goes hand-in-hand with what you as a brand represents, what you stand for, and how you’re marketing yourself to the outside world.

[sidenote: I also just found out, and am embarrassed to admit that I didn’t realize it before, who the originial “marketing me” idea came from. I knew it was too right to be my own original thought. But at least now I know who the genius is!]

Tom Peters calls it BrandYou. I call it “MarketingMe.” Either way, the idea is that without a conscious effort to know who you are and what you offer, not only will you have some trouble finding happiness, but you’ll have trouble finding a job you really like/want too!

Someone I was just speaking with today put it very well: People seem to be more concerned with where they’re going than where they are.

Sounds like a contradiction to what I just said, I know. But it’s not, because if you’re not sure where you are, you can’t quite figure out HOW to get where you are trying to go, right?

Here’s my little story to illustrate:
If you don’t realize you’re on an island (maybe in your organization, maybe in your perspective…) then you could keep driving cars right into the ocean, trying to get somewhere that no roads go to. But if you realize you’re on an island, you’ll build a boat to get off it it, or you’ll learn to embrace it make it the best possible island that exists in the ocean, until people build bridges to you. It relates back to Seth Godin’s The Dip, a little book with a lot of oomph. He says that the BEST is a spot only able to be occupied by one, but that anyone can get that designation if you are able to really identify what you are capable of being the best at…and work hard to get there.

the point? figure out where you are, who you are, and why you’re there, in order to make it worthwhile or move onto something that is.

Technorati Tags: Seth Godin, Tom Peters, The Dip, Brand YOU, MarketingMe, islands, self awareness

For those who’ve ever been to a job fair, you are probably aware of the rather deflated feeling you get as you’re leaving the huge auditorium/gym/conference room: a whole lotta nothing.

That’s not to say that job fairs aren’t a great way to learn, or that they’re not worth your time. They certainly can be! But are you working the room, or is the room working you?

It can be intimidating, especially when passing by booths that are manned by extremely outgoing company representatives, eager for the next person to talk to about their outstanding management trainee program, or their fabulous opportunities in the stockroom. But what other opportunities might you be missing by simply judging each exhibitor on their visual promotions, on their “list of opportunities”, or their reps’ first impression?

I see the job fair as almost the same thing as a trade show. Have you ever been to one of these? (A bridal expo is a good example of a trade show too.) It’s essentially a place for people to get exposure for their product/service/brand and to generate sales leads that will result in increased revenue. Trade shows are more effective when they get incredibly specific: almost any industry you can imagine has an expo for vendors and buyers. And since the job search is the “marketing me” process for you, the job seeker, this can be a great way to get some exposure of your brand!

Philadelphia has job fairs coming up in the next few months, and I thought in a good opportunity to share some tips about working the room, and not letting the room work you!

The general idea is this: (and kudos for reading this all the way to here!) The job fair can feel disappointing because there are so many others just like you. So make yourself stand out! You know you want to hit up that booth with the chocolate covered strawberries–make them want to write “call her!” on your resume the second you walk away. Be remarkable!

Technorati Tags: job fair, trade show, remarkable, follow up, be unique, research

This will probably sound like a rant, but if perhaps, just maybe, someone reads this and takes a couple of minutes to change something about their standard job search habits, then I’ll have done my job. We (my former self included) can get so stuck in our habits, and the easy way of doing things, we don’t see what could be a more effective way to get results.

I always ask how the job search is going, and what resources are being utilized for that process. The answer almost always includes “CraigsList.” And that’s fine. But it also includes the following comment: “but I don’t get many responses.” Here are a few of the possible reasons, directly from the horse’s mouth:

Suggestion: Do NOT send a resume attachment to a CraigsList posting without any information in the body of the e-mail. What makes a prospective employer interested in giving up 5 minutes of their time to open the resume, when you clearly didn’t spend 5 minutes of your time to write some more information about why you’re the right candidate?

Suggestion: Please proofread your resume and your cover letter, AND your email. If there is a misused word, or misspelled word, or grammatical error, you’re significantly lowering your chances of being called back.

Hope this sheds some light! I don’t intend for it to be harsh or mean, but maybe it will give you some motivation for ways to get a bit more response when you’re applying to the black hole that CraigsList can be!

Technorati Tags: CraigsList, job postings, resume submission, e-mail applications, job search habits

Probably not, since your mother likely didn’t have the same job search strategies and tactics that are quickly becoming the staple for any job seeker. (I mean, typewriters?? come on!)

But what I’m referring to in particular is e-mail. There are all sorts of uses for the e-mail when seeking a job, or maintaining professional relationships and networking connections. But there’s also varied opinions about how to most effectively use this relatively new communication tool.

Jeffrey Gitomer is a nationally-reknowned sales guru, and author of “The Sales Bible” and “The Little Red Book of Selling”. You might say, “why is a sales guy’s input relevant to my job search or career development?”

Answer: Your job search is the marketing and sales of you.

Gitomer’s suggestions for using e-mail are simple: it should be used in conjunction with other forms of communication — in person, over the phone, hand written; it should add value to the recipient; it should not be instantaneous, but it should be short.

This applies to a job search in a very straight-forward way: think about who you’re writing to, for what reason, and whether you would read it if you were in their shoes. Do they know who you are? Are they expecting some form of communication from you? Are you adding value with interesting industry facts, ways you can help their business, and not just something you “thought was funny”?

I am guilty of writing wordy e-mails because I like to write in general. But they don’t need an introductory paragraph, or a closer. This is precisely what causes e-mail tone and etiquette to get confused, because the other end of the spectrum is that they are so short they become impolite. This isn’t a good way to err either. They should be very concise. If you don’t know the person, more explanation is necessary. But don’t go overboard.

E-mail shouldn’t be instantaneous because that’s when mistakes can happen. If you don’t stop and think, and reread and edit your e-mail, you could send to the wrong person, or with typos, that could significantly alter the reader’s perception of the sender: YOU.

It’s always great to discuss the etiquette involved in a business setting, but sometimes you wonder who to ask, and what if their perspective isn’t quite the same as yours? CM Access offers this kind of support, we’ll work through it with you, to assess the situation when thanking an interviewer, when making first contact, etc. We can be that buffer, that perspective, that editer, for you.

I find Gitomer’s information on this and other sales-related topics increasingly relevant and motivating. Give it a shot! Let me know if your e-mail tactics change and get you some more results!

Technorati Tags: sales tips, job search strategy, e-mail etiquette, Jeffrey Gitomer

I recently moved, and like any pack-rat, realized there were a lot of sentimental items that needed to be tossed for good.

But one item I found to be particularly interesting. It is a document titled, “The Job Search” and I remember it came from my Public Relations methods professor. I thought it’d be a worthwhile study to explore how accurate the document remains since I’ve learned a lot from my career advocacy experience.
Here are some highlights with my comments.

The people you know are the most valuable resource you can have when searching for a job. And it’s not about calling someone to have a conversation that sounds like this:
“Hi John.”
“Hi MaryHelen. Haven’t heard from you in years!”
“Yeah, I know. I was calling because I’m looking for a new job. Do you know anyone that might be hiring?”

How could John help? He barely knows me!

Details are what make you a unique candidate. Be sure to write thank you notes (my recommendation is to write one for ANYTHING-even just a lovely conversation) and make sure it mentions something particularly relevant to the encounter, not something generic.

There are many other items in this document that are great tips for the search, though more tailored for those seeking their first job post-graduation, and I’m sure I’ll write about that more in the coming months.

All in all, not too much varies from what I’d recommend for a comprehensive job search: follow up, research, self-evaluation.

This leads me to believe that no matter what job board you’re frequenting, what niche site you’ve saturated, or how Flash-y your personal website is, the tactics that get you that great job don’t really change.

Technorati Tags: job search tips, research, details, first job

Ok…well this could be misleading. There are many ways to actually BE a good networker. The biggest ones are:

I’m well-aware that all these are debatably personality traits more than job searching or networking tactics. And we all know how difficult it can be to change others, let alone ourselves! So rather than saying that to really land a good job, you should just “be a nicer person!” I’ll pass along something that can easily become a habit, and with minimal effort WILL help your networking skills.

READ.

Everything you can get your hands on: Newspapers (online or in print!), magazines (for industry or just popular culture), and the newest resource of increasing importance: blogs and websites.

Once you are aware of what’s going on everywhere, you’ll start to see more and more occasion to offer something to a conversation, to have something worthwhile to say to a potential contact, and then you’ll become thoughtful and considerate (hopefully!). Blogs are quickly becoming a very important way to finding out what is going on in certain sectors of the economy.

[note: ok, ok…I’m saying how important blogs are on my own blog…bear with me, ok?]

If you’re new to this whole medium, and we all were at one time or another, there are several ways to make the information overload more digestible. Start by finding the right people to guide you through it. HINT: CreativeCamp this Saturday is an informal, laid back meet-up where you can ask anything you want from people who know what they’re talking about!

Or start with local blogs to explore what’s going on in your community and the neighborhood. With a simple search I found several that I’ll add to my reading list, including Phillyist, which has a lot of information about what’s going on ’round here. There’s also the Metroblogs network, that has over 45 cities (I think) including Boston and Philadelphia.

What better way to seem a bit more prepared than your colleagues? “I read on this blog the other day…”

Of course, like everything worth doing, it takes some effort. And if you just need a jumpstart, come out to CreativeCamp! Inspiration for all!

Technorati Tags: Philadelphia, networking, read, Boston, CreativeCamp, Phillyist, how-to

I still believe there is no real secret strategy for guaranteed success in your job search, but there are a number of ways to enhance your comprehensive efforts. These inlcude: networking, relationship building, self-awareness (personally and professionally), and competitive advantage (what do YOU offer?).

But today I realized one of the easiest ways to get a leg up on 1-your competition, 2-networking conversation, 3-interview preparedness.

Read the local business journal. The Philadelphia Business Journal was recognized as the number one newspaper in Pennsylvania in 2006 and they are part of a network of 41 regional business journals. What does this mean for you, the job-seeker or proactive career manager? It means that they have accurate, timely and thorough coverage of business events and information throughout the region. Before this starts to sound like a “subscribe now!” pitch, let me reign it in.

I learned this morning directly from the publisher, at an eWomen Network breakfast, how to truly use the information in the Business Journal to my advantage. By reading sections like People on the Move, and The List, you can find out what’s going on in companies you’d like to work for (or their competition!), congratulate people who’ve recently been promoted (kissing butt is ALWAYS a good way to get a hiring manager’s attention!) or even just compile a list of relevant target companies you’d like to consider for your next career move.

Subscriptions to Business Journals also allow you to access the full content online, and sign up for email alerts. This is how you can stay current with news and events, and keep your contacts warm. Let them know you think of them and their business by sharing relevant articles and events.

Yes, it costs money. Yes, it takes time to read the articles and sort through to the “Good” stuff, but (absolutely, positively, without a doubt) YES, it’s worth it.

as always, thoughts, concerns or comments are encouraged!

Technorati Tags: Philadelphia Business Journals, networking, strategies, secrets

short answer: yes.

long answer: No doubt about it. The way you present yourself is inextricably linked with the way you manage your identity.

I’ve talked about why it’s necessary to maintain control over your online identity–your web presence needs to speak to your skills, personality and goals. This may be easier for designers who can showcase their samples, but we’ll continue to explore how marketers, copywriters, and even account managers need to harness Web 2.0 technology to create a branding YOU campaign for career management. It’s really no longer about the periodic job search. It’s about building a network, keeping your ear to the ground for growth opportunities, and always proactive about accomplishing career goals.

But more to today’s point: your physical identity and appearance are a big part of your career management. OK ok, so you always hear “dress nicely for your interview, make sure your handshake is effective…” blah blah blah. But many times this is hard to know unless you talk to the proper resources, right?

I recently met JoJami Tyler, who is a professional image consultant. Definitely the kind of person you want to have in your network! But if you’re not able find someone near you, check out her blog here, and her website, here. She can answer questions about your personal brand, how to dress for media engagments (definitely a plus for PR folks!) and even closet organization–which most of us could use!

Who wouldn’t take a few pointers about how to manage your professional image? You could even explore how to solidify visually that identity you’ve been working to build virtually! (and no, she doesn’t do Second Life image consultation!)

PS She is trying to make time to come to CreativeCamp 3–great opportunity to learn what she is all about! Be there to share!

Technorati Tags: JoJami Tyler, professional image, identity, career management, networking, organization, Cafe Glam, Mode Image, CreativeCamp