Rita Ashley, Career Coach. Field tested advice for executives.

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By admin, November 24, 2008 11:47 pm

JOBMOB features Rita Ashley as a Guest Blogger.  She clears up the confusion over coach titles.

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By admin, November 19, 2008 8:38 pm

DON’T TRAP YOURSELF WITH NON-BELIEF

Reports indicate over 160,000 jobs lost nationally to date this year and a forecast by outplacement professionals, Challenger Gray and Christmas, declares a projected loss of over 180,000 tech jobs for 2009.  The question, “Will I be laid off?” is inevitable.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful to know one way or the other?  Unfortunately, this is one time in your life when you simply can’t get the information you need to see what your future holds.  You can only make a “best guess.”   It is to no company’s best interest to let people know about layoffs before they actually occur.  So instead, we engage in wishful thinking; arranging reality to prove the outcome we want.  Some examples:

I can ask: How can you know?  You can’t ask your boss; by definition, managers can’t reveal what is not yet made public.  It is a breach of ethics and a cause for firing.  If they say anything, it will be a flat out denial. The work you and the team are doing still needs to be done until other arrangements are made.

It’s just a rumor: If you heard a rumor, for instance, of a 10% cutback in force, where did the rumor originate?  Companies often “leak” this information to soften the blow with the press and investors when the hammer falls.  If you heard the rumor, it is probably true.

I am safe because I survived the layoff. The first wave of layoffs left your job in tact; does that mean your job is safe?  Probably not.  If your team has been reduced significantly, you can expect to be laid off in the next wave.  Layoffs usually come in threes.  Companies typically stage layoffs giving as much as 60 days notice or severance and the expense is huge.  Conducting layoffs in stages is one way to manage the bottom line consequences of massive layoffs.

The company has never had a layoff so I feel safe. Every company has had layoffs, they just don’t always call them that.  Projects are canceled, reorganizations occur and functions are sent off shore. Sure you are often given time to find a new job within the company, but that typically works only sometimes in the soundest of business climates.  When there are project cuts throughout the corporation, it is doubtful you will find a new spot internally.  You weren’t laid off but you are out of a job.

My function is too critical to the company to drop me: No such thing.  While you are thinking logically, you don’t have all the information.  Layoffs are often instigated by the Board of Directors.  Their agenda and that of the CEO are very different from the rank and file.  They are concerned with shareholder value and equity.

Most “C” level executives and certainly the Board, focus on the bottom line AND the stock price.  The triage they do is simple; what is absolutely necessary to shore up and/or maintain the stock price.  Each project/department and product is vetted against rule one; will keeping this team in tact generate revenue and contribute to the bottom line right now?  If there is any doubt about the necessity of your project/product in that vein, you are vulnerable for a layoff.

If yours is a long range or research project, you are vulnerable.  If you are an evangelist or if you are working on projects that keep the company in the public’s eye but do not actively generate attributable revenue, your job is at risk.

I am friends with my boss, he won’t fire me:  Marching orders are marching orders.  While many executives have discretion over who will get a pink slip, business trumps friendship every time.  Do you honestly believe your boss will put her job on the line to save yours?

And the real error in this thinking is that just because your boss is friendly, doesn’t mean he is your friend.  An efficient work environment is lubricated with friendly behaviors.  The best managers know a convivial work culture tends to be a productive one.

Don’t mistake that trip to your boss’s cabin with BFF.  In fact, if you really are friends, it is likely yours will be the first position to be cut so he won’t be accused of favoritism.  And don’t think for one minute that your boss whom you believe to be your friend will warn you if you are at risk.  She will only say what she is allowed to say; which is no one is in jeopardy of a layoff, or I haven’t heard one way or the other.

For advice on protecting your self from a layoff:  Can you protect yourself from unemployment?

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By admin, November 19, 2008 8:14 pm

Steps you can take to Avoid being laid off.

Layoffs and cuts back are forecast through out every US industry.  If one believes this view of the employment future, how should you prepare?  If you feel you are at risk, what can you do to manage the threat?

Middle Managers and Top Sales Executives are typically the first to go.  Their jobs are easily spread among others or disappeared completely.  And their job titles represent the most common in corporate America.  How do you protect yourself from being one of the many?  How do you make certain you can find another job?

How do you protect your job?

If decisions are made to cut the product or team, you have little recourse.  But there are steps to take to remove the bulls eye from your back:Your first defense against a layoff is to make absolutely certain you are doing your job to the best of your ability and you are exceeding corporate expectations.  Ask your manager what you can do better.  Then do it.

• Look for ways to save money in your department.  Demonstrate fiscal responsibility and help your employees do the same.  Let management know what you are doing and offer to help other departments do the same.
• Look around the company to discover vital tasks that need doing and which will contribute to the bottom line in either savings or new customer acquisition.
• Keep in mind your customers are having similar problems.  Propose ways to partner with them to prevent a crisis.
• Suggest ideas which are vital to improving the products or services the company sells at little or no cost.
• Work hard to demonstrate your concern for customer retention.  Sell your ideas on how better to service the customer base without spending more money.
• Communicate your efforts to other departments and become known within the corporation as the go-to person for mentoring and solutions critical to keeping the company on track.
• Take credit when you do any of the above and let management know you are vital to the corporate mission.
• Last, but not least, now is the time to network, network, network.  When the time comes, you will already have a leg up on the competiton.

It happened: Often you have no way to protect yourself from a layoff.  Here’s what you can do to make yourself employable even in a down market filled with many others after the same spot you hope to land.

• Ascertain what distinguishes you from all the other candidates who do what you do.  Lead with it as you approach opportunities.
• Determine the single highest priority hiring companies look for in a new hire in your position.  Define yourself as the embodiment of that priority.
• Line up your references to taut your abilities and experience in that area.
• Target companies smaller than the one you left and represent yourself as an expert who can not only do the job, but as someone who can train and cross train the department to weather the downturn in business.

Above all else, always appear confident. Remind yourself daily of your successes and remember it is the economy, not your abilities that caused your unemployment.  Self assured people always get top consideration for new opportunities regardless of the employment market.

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By admin, November 18, 2008 7:42 pm

MY SOAP BOX THIS WEEK IS PERSONAL DIGITAL DIRT.

THE PROBLEM: Who among us has not been tempted to rant on-line about something we care deeply?  Politics and religion are tempting topics for your opinions; they are also exactly the topics where you can offend the most people.  And what about all those pictures of the drunken brawl after the game?  Well, guess what, with the newest tools, anyone can find out even the oldest dirt about your personal and business life.

Fact:  Prospective employers vet ‘suspects’ on-line prior to contact.  There is no law to prevent them from not contacting you because they found something you said or did to be at odds with their own views.  You will never know who did not contact you for a job.

And worse, if you are already in the interview cycle, it is a guarantee someone with whom you interview will vet you on-line.  If they see or read something unpalatable they can make a reason not to proceed with hiring.

THE SOLUTION: Personal digital dirt has no shelf life; it exists forever.  So, what can you do to manage your reputation on line?  How can you overcome these self made obstacles to create a professional brand?  How can you manage your professional brand on-line and keep dirt away from your digital door?

1. Stop creating dirt.  Keep your opinions off line, just don’t do it.  Not even once.
2. See what is out there.  Use the tools above and search on your name, phone number, aliases, first initial and last name and your full name with your middle initial.  Women, search your maiden name.
3. Contact every site that lists your dirt.  Do whatever is possible to have it and your account removed.
4. Use all the social networking sites you can find.  Create a wonderful and accurate profile of your background and professional life.  Use a professional head shot and maintain these profiles.
5. Create a blog, respond to questions on social networking sites and other blogs, and participate on forums including those for your hobbies.  Your objective is to create so much clean dirt that the bad dirt is forced much lower on the page.
6. Use Google Alerts on your name to monitor how the world sees your digital brand.

CLEAN-UP ON STEROIDS:  The über solution employs the notion of pushing your dirt as low as possible on search engine results.  Sign up for as many high profile social networking sites as you have the time to monitor.

Ziggs, a social networking site for professionals, misleads prospects with the promise to “Build a free professional profile and search for other professionals.”  Enticing as that is, their real value to the job seeker, passive or active, is that they are invested in helping professionals create an online brand.  While not specifically targeted to job seekers, it inevitably works as a tool for clever hiring authorities to find you through the very best digital footprint you can create.

How is it different from other social networking sites?  Ziggs is highly ranked with search engines and as such, your entry is almost guaranteed to come up high on any search for your name.  Sure, it takes Internet time for your original profile to appear, but if you are in a hurry, Ziggs offers a 48 hour presence for a few bucks.

The advantage to you is one of the first entries people see is one that sets the stage for you as a professional; one over which you have complete control.  That first impression may very well cancel out some of the less positive dirt available. Fill out the complete profile and people can see you as a well-rounded, exemplary citizen in the business world.  No Dirt.

There are the familiar groups to join, comments and discussions to use and many ways to search for contacts or companies.  And a truly stand-out feature is you can actually see, using a map feature, the locations of people who found you on Ziggs.  Why do you care?  If you sent your resume to Dallas and a red flag appears on your map on Dallas, you know someone is vetting you.  To add to the thrill, Ziggs will email you with every new flag and information on the key words used in the search for you. Mouse over the flag reveals useful data:

Ziggs Real-Time Search Alert
Search Terms: Rita Ashley Medford Oregon
Search(Engine): Ziggs
Visitor(Location):Bellevue, WA
Date: 11/18/2008
Time: 5:11:00 PM

Julia Bradley, Vice President of Ziggs Marketing, encourages professionals who want to stand out from others who share their name to purchase their own domain URL, a service Ziggs makes very easy.  If you want to look truly professional, you need your own named address such as Julia@juliabradeley.com.  Sage advice for the long term.

CLEAN THE PICTURE DIRT: Julia also recommends using as many as six photos on Ziggs that show you in your many professional guises.  Google supports image searches which can be damaging.  Your objective is to have  many good pictures show up first.  Because of Ziggs high search engine ranking, your Ziggs pictures just may push bad images further down the page. Check it out, Google your own name, then Google/image  Ziggs President, Tim DeMello, or Eve Maler which is a terrific example of why your hobbies count, for example.  Everything on her image page, including her book covers is impressive and relevant to any job search.

Do not underestimate the picture is worth a thousand words cliche.  Remember, you want to create and maintain a professional brand, not let your college buddies know you are still a wild and crazy guy or gal.  It is all about a professional brand and your career.

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By admin, November 12, 2008 3:27 pm

Job Search Resources

If you are engaged in a serious job search, you have run into job search engines. They aggregate job descriptions from a variety of sources, some directly from the hiring company. They tend to duplicate one another, but they are all worth using for those exceptions.

My test for a Director of Development showed many jobs on The Ladders and other job boards that were also shown at the company web site for direct connections. I did notice many openings for companies where I know for a fact, there is a freeze on hiring.

If you use these job search engines, understand that not every company uses the same terminology for the same job. Use a variety of titles to round up the greatest selection of jobs you might want. Some of the sites will update you on new opportunities for your title choices.

simply hired is a template for most job search engines. The site aggregates results from major job websites, newspapers, company websites, associations and other online sources. Employers cannot post jobs. Site is strictly for job seekers. Users can search by occupation, job title or location.

indeed is the oldest of the group of job search engines.

Juju – A job search engine that sorts by job title and location

Jobs online – A job search engine that sorts by job title and location

Job Volume – A job search engine that sorts by job title and location. Includes Govt Jobs.

hound requires sign up but will send out opportunities.

Jobpier requires log in and user information.

FOR A MORE COMPREHENSIVE LIST: http://tinyurl.com/cdbo4p

My suggestion is to use more than one site to discover the direct path to the job since using any of the job boards just means you have more competition. A direct approach is always preferable and a referral is even better.

For more job search support, click on the left.

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By admin, November 10, 2008 9:49 pm

Simply Hired and Business Week partner

The previously, almost cult-like job search resource, job search engines, just went mainstream. Business Week is now partnered with Simply Hired to provide, on the magazine’s site, instant access to job listings. While this is good news for Business Week (they can boast higher traffic and charge more for advertising), Simply Hired, job boards and recruiters, the extensive outreach to a large employment pool is not good news for candidates.

Those of you already familiar with job search engines appreciate their job aggregating nature as a fast way to discover employers. Many entries are not associated with job boards or recruiters and give you direct access to hiring companies; always the best approach for an effective job search.

With the partnering of Business Week and Simply Hired, the value of this tool has been compromised. Their press release tells the tale: “BusinessWeek attracts an audience of 4.9 million readers, who on average make almost $100,000 a year, mostly in professional and managerial positions. By integrating job content into the site, employers can reach this audience of highly qualified…candidates.”

Where once you had a cozy web site to browse for local job opportunities, you now have competition for those jobs based on 4.9 readers.

One of the more endearing features of Simply Hired has always been listings not associated with recruiters or job boards. Candidates could locate jobs with real contact information, find a referral from their network and pursue the opportunity in a first class, professional manner through direct contact. With global exposure, many companies with direct contact information will be inundated with responses forcing them to use job boards and recruiters as filters. And most executives and technology leaders know, Job Boards Don’t Work.

The first destructive wave to destroy the job search beach is while both new partners can boast about the number of listings and perhaps even the number of hits,the quality of the information has been rendered almost useless. The increased exposure (global), so dear to publications is exactly what the candidate does not need: significantly more competition for any one job.

The tsunami affect: Since all job search engines cull their data mostly from the same sources, Simply Hired’s exposure contaminates all these resources equally. The partnership between Business Week and Simply Hired is the death knell to job search engines as a resource for executives and technology leaders.

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