Today's economy can be downright scary. If you recently lost your job, this blog to help you succeed. Losing a job can be one of the most terrible things anyone can ever experience. The good news is that you can find a job... even in today's economy. More importantly, you have been given a huge blessing. You have been given the opportunity to finally find the job and career of your dreams.
The key is to not take your job loss personally. It is natural to think "I just lost my job... now what? What should I do?" and to just want to jump on Monster.com or CareerBuilder.com and start searching for new jobs. Yes, you can certainly just go online and start looking for a job. However, before just jumping in, take a step back to reflect, sort through your emotions, and follow this recipe to job hunting success.
1) Grieve
Losing a job is often like a death. It is OK to grieve. Take a few days to just cope with the loss. Resist the temptation to just dive into getting another job. You need to take some time off to rejuvenate yourself.
2) Understand that Everything Happens for a Reason
Know that you will be better off. Most people lose their jobs because they hate their jobs anyway and deserve better. It is the universe's way of helping you move on. Most people in your shoes have found their lives would not have been nearly as fulfilling had they not gone through a job loss at some point. In many cases it was the loss of a job that drove people to finally find a job that they could actually enjoy.
3) Take Time Off
Take a day or two off. Most likely you need a short vacation. There are many inexpensive things you can do to temporarily take your mind off of your troubles. The job hunt will require you to be at your peak performance and by taking some initial time off you will put yourself in a better position to succeed.
You can go to a museum or the zoo. You can go for a long bike ride or a walk. You can go fishing, play pool, swim or go for a massage. You can even go to a retirement community or a hospital to brighten up some one's day. Doing charity work will put your situation into perspective that life can be worse. The idea is for you to relax and take your mind off of your situation so that you will be refreshed for your job-hunting journey.
4) Learn from Your Experience
After your short time off, get a note pad and a pen. Write down your learning experiences from your past job. Where did you excel? How could you have improved your performance? What did you enjoy about your previous job? What would you like to avoid in future jobs? The key is to learn from the experience of losing a job. That way you turn a negative event into something positive.
Next, write down your greatest strengths. This could be anything from your ability to communicate to the fact that you are a hard-worker. Maybe you are a great cost-cutter or you have a unique ability to motivate others. Whatever your strengths are, write them down.
5) Determine Your Ideal Job
On a fresh sheet of paper, write down the traits and characteristics that would make up your ideal job. Maybe you want a job where you can work out of the home. Perhaps you want a job working for a small entrepreneurial company. Maybe you even want to change careers.
Once completed, compare your strengths to your ideal job characteristics. Identify those positions that fit your talents best, yet allow you to do what you enjoy. Write down all the possibilities you can think of. You now have your target market (list) of opportunities.
The job search is like a trip. Before getting in a car, you first pick out your destination and then decide on the best route to get there. With your target list of opportunities you have identified your destination. And, as a result of your short vacation, you have a full tank of gas. Now, plan how you can best get to your destination' your ideal job. Your friends, family, ex-coworkers, ex-customers, stock brokers, and doctors, along with the Internet, recruiters, newspapers, and industry events will all be possible routes you can take.
6) Believe in Yourself!
The most important step you can take is to believe in yourself and be proud of you. If you don't believe in yourself, no one will. Don't take a job loss personally. In this world, it happens to the best of us. Don't pay attention to the negative media. The bottom line is even if unemployment is as high as 12% in some areas, 88% of all people are still employed. That is a B+ in most schools. So, keep your head up. Be proud of who you are. Determine your destiny and go get it.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Job Interviewing Lessons Learned from Chicago's Olympic Bid Loss
IOC Politics. Latin America never hosted the games before. Conspiracy. These are all reasons we saw in the media why Chicago and the US Delegation failed to win the bid to host the Summer 2016 Olympics Games. In truth, Chicago and its representatives failed in part due to many of the same mistakes people make on job interviews.
1. It's not about you! It's about what you can do for them!
In some of the most high profile speeches of supporters of the Chicago bid, the focus was on personal stories and what the Olympics could do for Chicago. Instead, the focus should have been on what Chicago can do for the Olympics. When companies are interviewing you they want to know what are you going to do for them. They don't care about your sob stories. They care about two things. How are you going to favorably impact the bottom line and how are you going to make the decision makers look good. The Chicago bid failed in both accounts.
2. Understand the Decision Making Criteria
Many of the IOC voters have never been to Chicago before and knew very little about the city. Additionally, the Chicago and US delegation knew very little about each IOC voter. When Oprah and others were out there shaking hands of the IOC members and smiling for the camera they should have been asking each IOC member what was important to them in their decision making process. Then, Chicago should have tailored its pitch to key aspects that were important to the majority of the voting bloc. When job interviewing you want to find out the decision making criteria of each decision maker and position your strengths and pitch towards that criteria.
3. Let the interviewer do most of the talking
Throughout the week in Copenhagen the Chicago delegation talked and tallked and talked about the virtues of Chicago. Instead, they should have been listening to what the IOC wanted. Most job interviewers make the mistake of talking too much in job interviews. Instead you should be listening for clues of decision making criteria and objections and make your case accordingly.
4. Know the objections and overcome them
For quite some time it was known that their were a few core objections to the Chicago bid. 1) Percieved "unfriendly" customs and attitudes towards foreign travelers. 2) Crime and Corruption. 3) Rift between IOC and USOC. Chicago, rather than avoiding those objections should have addressed them head on. Chicago could have addressed the first concern by showing pictures of its many neighborhoods with grocery stores that are Polish, Russian, Chinese, Korean, Indian, etc. Hardly any visitor to Chicago could possibly get homesick because there are so many ethnic neighborhoods where they could have felt welcome and at home. As for the second concern, Chicago could have talked about how the President was sending high level advisors to the city to address the recent crime issues. As for the rift between the IOC and the USOC, Chicago could have stated the concern and an action plan on how the USOC wants to improve relations.
When it comes to the job interview, it is natural for hiring managers to have some sort of concerns or objections about your qualifications. Maybe it is your level of experience. Maybe it is your salary. Maybe it is your history of quick hops from one company to another. Regardless, it is important in the interview to ask if there are any outstanding questions or concerns about your bid to get hired. Then you need to acknowledge the validity of those concerns and overcome them.
5. Strong Close
In the job interview it is important to go for a strong close. To recap the needs and to show how you are the best candidate to address those needs. Then you have to ask for the order. You have to ask what is the next step in the process for you to become a value added member of their team. By many appearances, the Chicago bid lacked a strong closing punch. It did not adequately recap the needs and desires of the IOC and demonstrate how Chicago was best positioned to address those needs. Instead, Chicago tried to win based off of emotional appeals. That in itself would not necessarily have been bad if it was appealing to the emotions of the IOC voters. But, instead, the Chicago delegation was appealing to its own emotions and appealing to emotions that seem to win elections in the US, not in other parts of the globe.
At the end, RIO won by addressing objections head on and showing how the IOC would look like heros by voting for them. Learn from RIO. When you are in a job interview. It is not just about you. It is about showing how you will be a great asset to the company, how you will make the company money and how you will make the decision makers proud of their decision to hire you. You want to play to the emotions of the people interviewing you and make them feel confident about hiring you.
About the Author
Todd Bermont is the author of the books "10 Insider Secrets to a Winning Job Search" and "10 Insider Secrets(tm) Career Transition Workshop. Todd's books are available at Amazon.com, and Barnes&Noble.com
Todd is also the online instructor for the course 12 STEPS TO A SUCCESSFUL JOB SEARCH!
1. It's not about you! It's about what you can do for them!
In some of the most high profile speeches of supporters of the Chicago bid, the focus was on personal stories and what the Olympics could do for Chicago. Instead, the focus should have been on what Chicago can do for the Olympics. When companies are interviewing you they want to know what are you going to do for them. They don't care about your sob stories. They care about two things. How are you going to favorably impact the bottom line and how are you going to make the decision makers look good. The Chicago bid failed in both accounts.
2. Understand the Decision Making Criteria
Many of the IOC voters have never been to Chicago before and knew very little about the city. Additionally, the Chicago and US delegation knew very little about each IOC voter. When Oprah and others were out there shaking hands of the IOC members and smiling for the camera they should have been asking each IOC member what was important to them in their decision making process. Then, Chicago should have tailored its pitch to key aspects that were important to the majority of the voting bloc. When job interviewing you want to find out the decision making criteria of each decision maker and position your strengths and pitch towards that criteria.
3. Let the interviewer do most of the talking
Throughout the week in Copenhagen the Chicago delegation talked and tallked and talked about the virtues of Chicago. Instead, they should have been listening to what the IOC wanted. Most job interviewers make the mistake of talking too much in job interviews. Instead you should be listening for clues of decision making criteria and objections and make your case accordingly.
4. Know the objections and overcome them
For quite some time it was known that their were a few core objections to the Chicago bid. 1) Percieved "unfriendly" customs and attitudes towards foreign travelers. 2) Crime and Corruption. 3) Rift between IOC and USOC. Chicago, rather than avoiding those objections should have addressed them head on. Chicago could have addressed the first concern by showing pictures of its many neighborhoods with grocery stores that are Polish, Russian, Chinese, Korean, Indian, etc. Hardly any visitor to Chicago could possibly get homesick because there are so many ethnic neighborhoods where they could have felt welcome and at home. As for the second concern, Chicago could have talked about how the President was sending high level advisors to the city to address the recent crime issues. As for the rift between the IOC and the USOC, Chicago could have stated the concern and an action plan on how the USOC wants to improve relations.
When it comes to the job interview, it is natural for hiring managers to have some sort of concerns or objections about your qualifications. Maybe it is your level of experience. Maybe it is your salary. Maybe it is your history of quick hops from one company to another. Regardless, it is important in the interview to ask if there are any outstanding questions or concerns about your bid to get hired. Then you need to acknowledge the validity of those concerns and overcome them.
5. Strong Close
In the job interview it is important to go for a strong close. To recap the needs and to show how you are the best candidate to address those needs. Then you have to ask for the order. You have to ask what is the next step in the process for you to become a value added member of their team. By many appearances, the Chicago bid lacked a strong closing punch. It did not adequately recap the needs and desires of the IOC and demonstrate how Chicago was best positioned to address those needs. Instead, Chicago tried to win based off of emotional appeals. That in itself would not necessarily have been bad if it was appealing to the emotions of the IOC voters. But, instead, the Chicago delegation was appealing to its own emotions and appealing to emotions that seem to win elections in the US, not in other parts of the globe.
At the end, RIO won by addressing objections head on and showing how the IOC would look like heros by voting for them. Learn from RIO. When you are in a job interview. It is not just about you. It is about showing how you will be a great asset to the company, how you will make the company money and how you will make the decision makers proud of their decision to hire you. You want to play to the emotions of the people interviewing you and make them feel confident about hiring you.
About the Author
Todd Bermont is the author of the books "10 Insider Secrets to a Winning Job Search" and "10 Insider Secrets(tm) Career Transition Workshop. Todd's books are available at Amazon.com, and Barnes&Noble.com
Todd is also the online instructor for the course 12 STEPS TO A SUCCESSFUL JOB SEARCH!
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