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No More Résumés, Say Some Firms - A résumé doesn’t provide much depth about a candidate, says Christina Cacioppo, an associate at Union Square Ventures who blogs about the hiring process on the company’s website and was herself hired after she compiled a profile comprising her personal blog, Twitter feed, LinkedIn profile, and links to social-media sites Delicious and Dopplr, which showed places where she had traveled. ”We are most interested in what people are like, what they are like to work with, how they think,”….Read more

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Where has all the optimism gone?

Bombarded by newscasts, newspaper articles, tweets, posts and friendly chatter about unemployment as well as underemployment running high for many professionals and a backdrop of civil unrest and countries going bankrupt: one must ask where has the optimism gone?

Sometimes I think back to those cold November days as a child and getting home from school to find my mother in the warm kitchen baking cookies and preparing supper and all my sisters fighting to see who would get to lick the beaters clean. I never worried about food or if I would have a warm place to sleep, all I had to do was open the fridge and grab whatever I wanted. I never had to worry if the lights would stay on or if I would have a lunch the next day. I was and still am an optimist but I am also saddened by the frequent calls I get from desperate professionals seeking work who are on the verge of having the lights turned off on their kids and also losing the nice cozy warm safe beds for their children. Living with anxiety is not a great childhood. Don’t let job loss ruin even one childhood.

Professional engineers and scientist are ill prepared for job loss and job search and that conclusion can also be extrapolated to most professionals. The tragedy is that frequently the unemployed are eating up all their savings and in some cases even losing their homes as they conduct futile job searches. Why are these job searches futile? Because many professionals still rely on the job boards and job postings to find work and these only work for commodity jobs (inside sales, customer service and other similar type). The landscape has changed forever and professional engineers and professional scientists and all occupational specialists and professionals need to wake up to the new job search and consider creating a professional image that attracts attention and respect online and marketing that image.

When is the best time to start a job search marketing strategy? When you are employed and barring that RIGHT NOW! You must develop a professional image online not a personal brand and you must promote your keywords and link them to your identity. When it comes to ProfessionaliBranding a LinkedIn profile is a good start but it is not enough. You need to develop a job search strategy that attracts employers rather than having to push yourself on employers, in other words you need to be a candidate not an applicant! Forbes.com claims there are many jobs available but professionals lack the skills necessary to do the jobs. Hog Wash I say Professionals in job search do a bad job of promoting their competencies and try too hard to “fit in” rather than promote what is a “good fit” for them.

Paul Hill, has had over 25 years in the job search trenches and is an award winning international recruiter, and creator of Get Found, Get Hired. A transformational coach, author and speaker recognised as an expert in polishing the images of individuals’ and their reputations online. He is the Founder and Chief Instructor of Transition to Hired. To find out more about how to get your ProfessionaliBrand working for you, visit Get Found, Get Hired. Love to hear from you if you need any help or would like to chat E-mail me.

Passion can be elusive

Do you often get trapped by any of the following?

- I’m too tired,

- I am so exhausted,

- I am burnt out,

- I can’t do that what will people think,

- My mom, dad or friends will think I am nuts,

- What if I fail?

- What if it does not work out?

These are the things I hear from many of my clients when they come to me for coaching:

“I don’t know what I want to do”, “I need to find my passion or my purpose”, “What’s wrong with me –why can’t I find it?”, “I don’t like what I do”, “I have read the books, or I have done the exercises, I have studied the gurus and still nothing”.

There is a burning fire of despair – what I call being stuck with no chance of escape….or stuck ‘doing life’ rather than ‘living life’. Well stop looking and get real…. You know the answer, you have always known the answer – you are just not ready yet to be honest with yourself and go for it. You have a burning passion…find it and go for it.

Everyone is capable of ‘going for it’ but few have the guts to go for it. The answer is not in one simple thing but rather it is a myriad of forces that come together to give you a path worth following. The biggest mistake I find people make beyond being ‘honest’ is that they believe that living their passion is total bliss and is effortless all the time – no folks that is called ‘paradise’, living your passion is feeling a sense of happiness and fulfillment from knowing at your core what you are doing is right for YOU.

Living Your Passion or Manifesting Your Passion

Living or manifesting your passion is not something material or concrete you can hold onto but rather it is a journey, leaving your comfort, your security, your excuses, it’s about making a decision to move forward – a committed decision. A real decision is by my definition – taking the boat to an island and burning the boat – there is no going back…that is a decision.

Think of it as wanting to be a surfer – you can paddle in the waves of the Great Lakes – or you can throw yourself into the biggest waves on earth, and jump in with the sharks and take the risk of having the most exhilarating ride of your life – really feeling alive and knowing that you have arrived. You can turn your back on the world’s biggest waves and stay safe on the lake and still be able to call yourself a surfer, right?

Come on dude – be honest with yourself – are you a ‘suffer’ or are you a surfer?

If you are a ‘suffer’ then you carry a big security blanket around with you ready at any moment to wrap yourself in it. Your usual lament always has a BUT in it – you say things like “Yes, that is the right thing to do BUT” or to protect yourself from risk you tell yourself and others “the whole passion and fulfillment thing is bullshit”.

The sure way to stop yourself form going for it, for going for what gives you the rush and excitement is the ‘BUT’ – the ‘BUT’ blocks your heart or your inner voice that knows where you have to go.

When that voice rises up and says “Yes that’s great BUT…”, then that is exactly what you should be going for – in most cases, give it a try (unless it is really something that can not be overcome – don’t fool yourself, be totally honest). Stand up for a cause, become an athlete, write a book, become a stud or a vixen or whatever it is that turns your crank – but go for it!

If you are still stuck or overwhelmed when you think of going for it or the ‘yes but’ is still stopping you. Then one or all of the 3 chains can be holding you back,

1. I’m too tired, or I’m too old

2. I can’t do that what will people think?

3. I’m afraid

I’m too tired

Check your head space and ask yourself – am I always whining about being tired, or having no energy, or angry and blowing up all the time. Are you always coming up with the “yes but” excuses? If any of these invade your psyche you might be burnt out or truly depleted. Even if you know what you love but you just don’t have the energy to do anything about it then you are probably just too tired to jump on any adventure.

When you are run down your ‘desire fuel’ level is real low and you are running on fumes – just not enough gas in the tank to get yourself going. When your body is barren it just doesn’t work properly and your mind is not sharp nor is it motivated to take on challenges.

When you think you are too old then you are too old – but then of course you know that is just another one of your ‘BS stories’. You are never too old to go for a dream. If you don’t believe it read this story about the KFC dude, Colonel Sanders.

If you have reached a level of depression – or despair then you need to restore equilibrium. Don’t be ashamed to reach out for medical help – severe stress brought on by living a ‘lie’, not being honest with yourself – or being in the wrong job can wreak havoc on your physiology – you may need the help of your doctor to restore balance.

Most people are simply too tired and need to refuel their tank. Consider taking rest, reading a book, going out in nature, going for a walk everyday, doing guided meditations, going on a fast to cleanse your body and adjusting diet accordingly, sleeping, taking a sabbatical, going to an island for a month – you name it – you need to get your fuel level up or forget it. Once you have done so you will wake up and feel motivated to go for it.

Most people don’t take the time to refuel and instead keep struggling against a hill with no fuel in the tank to get over the hill. Take the time and refuel with premium. Once you are ‘topped up’ you will find that zest for life again.

I can’t do that …What will people think?

Too many have learnt that going for what you love, living your passion is selfish or is a bad thing. What they want does not match other’s pristine ideals. Fear of being talked about or being judged stops many in their tracks and unfortunately leads to a life of despair or a life of continuous wanting. The glass is half full but it is ALWAYS half full unless you fill it up.

Who is s responsible for your happiness – you or them? Try these out for size and finish these sentences off….

If I did not give a crap what others think I would….

If my folks would never know I would….

If I could be sure I would get it right, I would….

If I had enough money, I would…

Are you thinking of things that you have thought about before but were too afraid to act on? Or do new things come to mind and make you anxious or excited. If you answer yes to either question then you have been denying yourself and are not following your path. Maybe your support network is not very supportive.

Did you ever think maybe you need to hang around or be around people that have the same interests as you? Leaving or breaking away can be tough but so can dying having denied yourself your destiny. OK so you won’t break away then start doing the things that you have been holding back on (as long as they keep you integral) and please don’t tell your naysayer pseudo-support group – go for it alone for now. See if you feel more alive, if the aches and pains disappear – if you have more energy – if sex and chocolate taste better – then you have your answer.

Fear

Are you chicken? Are you afraid that things might not work out? When I coach I can smell the fear – all the excuses come spewing out. All those excuses sound so good to them… but the real truth is my clients are often afraid of taking the risk, afraid of the failure?

My favorite saying is when you make a decision – make it the right decision – in other words, if things don’t work out the first time adjust and make it the right decision- no matter what just make it right. This is what winners do – losers stay in the ‘try mode’- winners live in the ‘do mode’. Remember, it is not how smart you are that matters it is how smart you act!

Waiting for inner fortification so that you can act brave? Forget about it, it does not work. The only way to develop backbone is to act brave until you are brave. The best way to break through your fears is to announce to the world what you are going to do. When I started writing a book – I wondered constantly who would want to read my book – I knew I was good – I just did not believe it. When I announced it to the world – all of a sudden there was no turning back. The ride has been exhilarating and the feedback has been awesome. By stepping up I am living my passion.

If you move forward, the path will open up for you. If you stay stuck the path will overgrow with vegetation and the vegetation will choke off your path. The struggle will be more painful and physically costly to your health should you ever decide at a later date to go down your path. Right now there are only a few tree stumps in the way …blaze your path and live your life. Marianne Williamson says it best..

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.’ We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we’re liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” (A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of “A Course in Miracles”, Harper Collins, 1992. From Chapter 7, Section 3]

I believe Marianne would agree that sex and chocolate do taste better when you are living your passion.

Wrong job-heart attacks

Make sure to spend the time to find a job you love because being in the wrong job is bad for your health. Here is a sobering statistic – research shows conclusively that the most common day for heart attacks is Monday. Statistics spike on Monday mornings in particular, since heart attacks occur between 4 a.m. and 10 a.m. – more than any other six-hour period.

Why do you think that is?

Fulfill your passion and avoid the wrong job

I am neither a social scientist, nor a doctor but I can tell you probably as a result of extreme job stress, or fear of going to work. Is this a way to live?  This is your only time on earth, so choose to ‘live life’ rather than ‘do life’.  Put the effort into finding a job that will fulfill your passion. It does not matter what you do as long as you love it …as my father frequently says “To each your own, your ice cream cone, 47 flavors, pick your own”.

It is a normal practice today for companies to conduct a telephone interview or a screen as a first step. You have spent so much time preparing your resume as well as conducting a job search, and you finally have attracted interest. You need to make all that hard work pay off by delivering a great interview. Your goal is to move the hiring process to the in-person interview stage.

What information is the interviewer seeking?

When you are being screened by a hiring manager they are evaluating 3 main areas:

1. Your technical fit, skills/qualifications

2. Your verbal communication skills

3. Your personality and fit with the group or company culture

The Manager is seeking to answer three main questions:

Can you do the job?, Are you the right fit?, Will you do the job?

The keys to the technical or qualifications part of the game are usually found in the job description. Make sure to brush up on these key areas before the interview. When answering questions, come up with work examples that support your abilities and knowledge and that relate to the key areas on the job description.

Take the time to write out the relevant examples and keep them with you while you are speaking on the phone to the hiring manager. Make sure you print out your notes in large font so they are easy to refer to – like cue cards.

If you will be speaking with a hiring manager, make no mistake you will be getting questions regarding your technical skills and your abilities, so prepare accordingly.

During the interview you are bound to run across a question that deals with an area that you do not have experience in, just make sure …Read more Telephone Interview Preparation and Tips

Most job seekers, even though they are shown statistics from the US Department of Labor that clearly show that only 5% of jobs are obtained through traditional advertisements or through jobs advertised on the internet, still persist on investing 100% of their efforts  on “clicking and sending’ their resume as the sole method of finding a job.

Source: US Department of Labor (2001)

Why do people do this? …because it is easy and it is painless and the ‘rejection’ effect is low.

You can have at your fingertips NEW easy, painless methods that will let you exploit that elusive 95% of the market you are not tapping into. Using the same old, same old techniques are not getting the job done for you. Just imagine landing that great job and having the money you deserve-it is really that easy. Check out the Get Hired FASTtrack method© …your next job depends on it.

Now is your opportunity to check out the proven professional resources at www.TransitionToHired.com and get yourself on the ‘Fast track to Hired.’ Don’t delay there has never been a better time in last 2 years to use these methods and get yourself a great a job.

Many people have trouble with the concept of goal setting. When you set goals … are you actually setting goals or are these wishes or dreams? Why bother with goal setting? Are there advantages to goal setting?

Most people don’t get what they want because they don’t know what they want and that is why wishes, dreams and goals are so important.

At Transition to Hired we consider it important to distinguish between all three, wishes, dreams and goals because they work together to define what you want and how to get it.

We use the term wishes to define things that we want or desire but we are not totally committed to following through and getting. The reason why this is an important distinction is that it allows you to think about things you may want or cherish without having to decide to commit to them, without having to pass moral or social judgment on them, or even evaluate if you are capable of getting them. This way it frees you up- nothing is excluded. Nothing is off limits and nothing is taboo as you ‘free think’ your wish list (more on your wish list at the end of this article.).

Once you have your wishes from your wish list you can break these down further into dreams and goals. In our definition dreams and goals are the by-products of wishes. A dream is a wish you are committed to achieving in the longer term… like for example 5 plus years out. The key word is committed to in a specific time period.

Dreams and Goals

What is the difference?

The difference between dreams and goals is not so obvious. A goal by our definition is simply a well defined short term target, with the key word being defined. A dream is a long term target that is achieved by reaching a number of goals. Dreams are the big picture whereas goals are the steps you take to reach your dream. We also use the term concept to represent dreams. Dreams are concrete but they are not as well defined as goals.

Now let’s look at these in more detail.

The short term target is what we call a SMART goal. It just means that it is well defined and has distinct parameters. SMART means Specific, Measurable, Action-Oriented, Realistic/Relevant and Time-Specific.

So a SMART goal is a defined short term target, focused and specific that is under your control (or you have some control over).

There is one problem however with SMART goals. If you only achieve SMART goals you can lose sight of the ‘big picture’ or what I call the dream. In other words you can spend all your time achieving SMART goals only to realize someday that you are not where you want to be- you have been taking steps up the mountain only to reach the peak and realize you are on the wrong mountain.

You want to climb the right mountain so this is where you need to understand the concept of dreams. A dream is a long term target or long term goal or in corporate speak a ‘strategic objective’ that you are committed to achieving but you are not as limited by the defined nature of goals.

Dreams or long term goals can seem big, daunting, and even impossible at first blush. The time line can extend from 1 year to 10 years or a lifetime.

The dream or long-term goal is the ultimate end point –if its nature allows, it can be flexible and can be adjusted and refined along the way as you move closer towards its achievement. Your goals on the other hand are the map you follow to get you there.

Think of this way… your wish may be to go on a long adventuresome automobile trip. Your dream would be to cross the USA that is travel from Los Angeles to New York City by car over 2 years. Your goals would be the type of car you drive, the stops along the way, the cities, the sites, and the entertainment stops on your way to your destination end point New York City.

Dreams are characterized by what you want and why whereas goals are the steps, the plan, the map that gets you there. 

Dreams and goals work well together. If you only have dreams without the framework of goals you can easily get demoralized by the enormity of the dream. Setting SMART goals allows for small steps that are attainable and therefore acts as the facilitator to achievement of the dream.

On the other hand if you only have goals you can get stuck concentrating so much on the steps that you forget where you are heading.  Most importantly you can get blindsided to why you are going for the dream in the first place and you might miss opportunities that allow you to jump way ahead since your head is down all the time focusing so hard on the goals. Look up every once in a while and make sure the dream is still something you want and that you are heading in the right direction.

By reviewing your long term goals or your dream it helps you figure out if your strategy, your goals are working and it allows you to make corrections as needed.  Accomplishing short term goal after goal may feel great but you must ask yourself is it getting you where you want to go? That is why you have the dream or long-term goal to keep you on track.

The bottom line is goals require much more specific detail than dreams and they are much more short-term, more focused and specific targets.

Wish, Dream and Goals example

Your Wish: I want to retire when I am 65 having been recognised in my filed.

Your Dream: I want to be a Director of a lab at Pfizer by the time I am 55 and making the equivalent of 160,000 per year in today’s dollars.

SMART Goals you can set:

-Send an email to John Smith today and ask him if we can meet once a month on the third Thursday of each month for lunch a Pedro’s so he can mentor me on my dream of becoming a Director of the Laboratory within 10 years.

-Based on previous discussions with John take the plunge and go online and sign up for the Queen’s MBA fall session of 2011.

-Send email to Brad my director requesting a meeting  and push for MBA sponsorship from the company with a goal of getting minimum $10,000 per year from them-plus ½ day off a week for study time. If no sponsorship or time off work given, then work out some flex time.

-7:00PM tonight work out what type of commitment I am prepared to make to the company for the sponsorship. Write out a detailed proposal and have it ready one day prior to the meeting so I can run it by John and get his input.

-Call Rick my investment advisor today at 12:15PM so we can set up a meeting to go over finances and calculate how much I must put away so I can go for the MBA and what my total commitment financially, considering worst case-no company help, will be to the MBA and what my financial options are.

-Join my career Professional Association today and submit a proposal for a paper by April 23^rd. Send an email to Brad to set up a meeting on Friday next week, early morning to talk to Brad about attending the annual conference, and to get company sponsorship.

-Ask Peter the senior scientist today to assist me with my paper and ask John at the meeting.

-On Saturday of this week at 11:00AM update my resume and fix my profile on LinkedIn to reflect my management skills and my goal of becoming a Director just in case things don’t work out with Pfizer I need a backup and my profile needs to be seen.

-Every week on Thursday before going home from work spend ½ hour building network by sending out LinkedIn invites, minimum of 5,  as well as contacting 2 prominent people in my field who are on professional committees and sending them my profile and offering my help.

-Every 3 months prepare a summary of accomplishments and targets and during a meeting with John evaluate where I am, where I am going and get help from John on redirecting or focusing as need be.

As you can see the goals are Specific, Measurable, Action-Oriented, Realistic/Relevant and Time-Specific.

It is your turn

Now it is time for you to sit down for 20 minutes and free flow –write down all the wishes you have- no judgement here –let it rip. Then take those wishes and determine 5 wishes that you are committed to achieving in 10 years, so now they are dreams or long-term goals. Now determine 5 you are committed to achieving in 5 years and 1 or 2 you are committed to achieving in 1 year. Now write out SMART goals for the achievement of your 1 year dreams, your 5 year dreams and your 10 year dreams. Go for it- look up every once in a while to make sure your heading to fulfilling your dreams.

For more tips on how to maximize your job search go to www.TransitionToHired.com and join the Get Hired FASTTrack community and receive must have job search advice, also visit http://www.getmehiredtv.com/ to see the newest episodes on innovative job search strategies. You can also find more tips at www.ADVTechnical.com

Have you ever prepared for an interview using an ”interview how to book”? Then you did everything by the book and walked out of the interview knowing in the root of your soul that you aced every question. Yet, you still did not get an offer!!!

If it is any comfort you are not alone- but who needs comfort when you have to eat, right!

The reason you did not get the offer is that you failed to understand the most powerful law of human motivation-we like people who are like ourselves and that goes for the hiring process –the decision maker a.k.a. “The boss” likes people who are the same as her that is who have the same “Hiring-Archetype”. There are only 4 hiring-archetypes. Once you establish which archetype you need to influence during the interview, it all becomes real simple-to deliver your secret weapon.

Sales–Archetype – You need to be a seller

How to identify- look for them to be confident, candid, direct, high-energy, closers

This type of hiring manager is a survivor, a fast talker, fast thinker, someone who is hard to nail down. She has not spent much time thinking about the “real candidate” vs. “ideal candidate”. This is the take charge type who wants someone who is sharp and has a “proven track record” and she controls the whole hiring process.

She knows it when she sees it. If you think quickly on your feet, you are polished and look and dress the part, as well as have the right answers- she might even hire you on the spot. She will rewrite the job description. This is the type you can influence the easiest as long as you have rehearsed your lines and can deliver like an actor.

What to do in the interview- be polished, spit shined, answer quickly and sharply and to the point- make sure to let your interviewer dominate the interview. It is OK for you to point out that you are a bit of a rebel, you can break the rules in order to get the job done and you can work independently.

Service-archetype- You need to be a server

How to identify- these are the friendly talkers-they can not shut up, they may even have cookies or candies on their desk

This archetype is the structured and the rules type, since customers are their number one priority they want to make sure they hire employees that can follow the rules and balance the rules without giving away too much to the customers. No matter what type of industry insurance, telephone, and cable you name it, these archetypes track and control employees with computers. Everything is measured and quantified.

No decision is made independently here- everything is done by committee.

This is where the resume is the most important part of the whole process. If the resume is customised to the job description then the pre-screening is done ahead of time-the interview is just a formality. In most cases the references are done before the interview.

You have to patient, nice and service-oriented and play by the interviewing rules and you will get the job.

What to do in the interview-Be friendly and communicative. Make sure not to get caught up in a chit chat- you need to take control of the interview so you can actually talk since the interviewer tends to talk too much and use up all the time. Make sure you make your answers precise so they actually register with the interviewer,. When they are focused they will key on the resume for most of their questions so make sure you know your resume.

Creativity archetype-you need to be a creator

How to identify this type-they are artsy, and usually disorganized or a bit crazed- things are usually unstructured and or unpredictable. They usually don’t like to talk too much- they want to get back to creating.

These are people that are artistically driven and/or designers or inventors like in the advertising industry, fashion or even the high-tech industry. They hire randomly and unpredictably from many different industries. The industry is not as important as the projects the person has done.

A resume does not mean much here nor does an interview unless you bring along patents, a portfolio, or mock-ups etc… these are “the resumes” that get you hired in an interview.

What to do in the interview–It is harder to get hired here because if you are this type you are usually unruly, you do not fit well with the corporate culture, you tend to beat to your own drum and your HR interview is like having your teeth drilled without any anaesthetic. So with your potential boss you must show your creative abilities and with HR you must show that you are reformed and a good rule follower and you are looking for a long term opportunity- you must force yourself to be communicative remember HR is a service archetype.

Scientific archetype-you need to be scientist

How to identify this type-controlled, cautious, rule oriented, planner who has an orientation towards accuracy with a compulsion to try and reduce risk.

This is the type that has a system or a test. The process is always the longest it goes through checks and double checks and then a probability of candidate success is tabulated. If you score +/- 5% within normal range then it goes back to the hiring committee for verification of the numbers. Then and only then do they make an offer. Usually they make you an offer at a lesser level telling you that once you prove yourself they will promote you. Even after your hired they are still not sure if they made the right decision since there is always a possibility that their calculations were wrong.

The trick here is to crack the test. What is most important to them? What are they keying on? Once you know the test and the personalities involved you are on your way to an offer.

What to do in an interview- make sure you have the numbers and the facts straight. Cowboys are not welcome, tread carefully and cautiously make sure you pay attention to details. One wrong answer puts you out. Instead of guessing say with confidence ”In this case, I would do as I normally do, that is go and find out or figure out the RIGHT answer before I proceeded. And then for good measure I would re-check it or have it checked for accuracy. (They will really like the double checking it part).

Your secret weapon

Know the archetype you face and deliver accordingly- like attracts like.

For more tips on how to maximize your job search go to www.TransitionToHired.com and join the Get Hired FASTTrack community and receive must have job search advice, also visit www.GetMeHiredTV.com to see the newest episodes on innovative job search strategies. You can also find more tips at www.ADVTechnical.com

Does this ever happen to you, you are all gung ho, you have read the latest on making marketing calls and selling yourself to decision makers directly by telephone. You have your list of 10 targets to call and after 5 calls all you have hit is voice mail. You remember the instruction you read “do not leave a message, call back instead” so you plod on. After 10 calls, still no humanoid, so you throw in the towel and go back to clicking and sending your resume. STOP! Hold on to the towel you will need it for wiping off the champagne bottles.

Come on, I know you are dying to leave a message but what type of message should you leave?

Try these out:The pre-emptive strike!  (One of my favs)

This one works because you are anticipating the major objection the decision maker, you are calling, will have… and that objection my friend is scepticism. Bill, this is John Doe calling and I am calling to find out if you can use a top notch professional on your team.

And believe me …I know you are probably getting a pile of calls like this every day from desperate people looking for work. Saying the same thing, over and over.

Bill, I want you to know that I am really different and my skills and ability to grasp problems and eliminate problems and make positive contributions have been proven year after year.

Could you please return my call so we can discuss how I can help you?

The rapport builder

This one is great at building rapport with your target. The approach is to leave a query message and to keep in mind less is more –you are simply playing to their curiosity so that they call you back.

Bill,…Do you ever look for senior engineers for your team? I have an interesting proposition to discuss with you. Please call me at ……

How to know when to make a follow-up call and how many total messages to leave?

I am frequently asked “How many messages should I leave and when should I follow-up?”

Use the 4/3 rule. Leave up to 4 messages 3 days apart and leave the same message 3

times; the 4 th message- you put a twist on it. The 3 day pause leaves enough time for

the person to respond and also spreads it out enough that you are not viewed as a stalker. By using the 3 day spread it is still close enough that you are remembered.

When you get to the 4th call it’s been 12 days and by now the person thinks of you as a friend ? (OK you hope)-it does work.

When you leave the last message put a twist on it, like this:

Bill, its John Doe calling. This is important. I have tried reaching you but we have not

connected yet. If the day time is not the right time to have a discussion, can you leave

me a message with a time and date when I can reach you and I will make sure to make that call. Thank you, Bill. Here is my number again…

For more tips on how to maximize your job search go to www.TransitionToHired.com and join the Get Hired FASTTrack community and receive must have job search advice, also visit www.GetMeHiredTV.com to see the newest episodes on innovative job search strategies. You can also find more tips at www.ADVTechnical.com