Many “successful” people aren’t very happy with the success they have achieved.  They like the money and status, but something is missing.  It may be a happy home life.  Or, it may be a feeling of all take and no give–a need to give back to the community, but no time devoted to doing it.  Or, there is some other void in their lives.

Being in a job search, whether currently employed or not, is an ideal time to consider re-balancing your life.  It all begins by identifying the  constituents in your life that are truly important to you.  These could include a spouse, children, expanded family, employer, friends, neighborhood, community, state, nation, or the world–the definition is yours.

Once you decide who is important, you then decide what you want to accomplish with that constituent.  Do you want to be a better father?  What does that mean–attending important events, participating in homework, coaching a team, going to the museum or on a camping trip?  Do you want to be a better citizen in your town?  Does that mean you will–be a better informed voter, run for office, join a civic organization?

Pretty quickly you will see you can’t serve all of these constituents.  You have to make hard choices.  And, if you are going to change your behavior, you have to have passion behind the change or it won’t happen.  And, like most things in life where you really achieve something notable you have to plan what steps you will take, and be able to measure your progress.

Now, it’s easy to think that success with the non-work constituents comes at the expense of your career.  Not necessarily so.  If you used to work for an employer that required you to be in the office from 8 to 5 each day, perhaps a new employer will be more flexible, expecting you to work as many hours, but open to a different schedule.  Or perhaps a new employer will allow you to work at home on certain days, saving commuting time which could then be applied to a different purpose.  Think about what you want to accomplish and be creative about ways to do it.  Look for an employer who will support you.

Better balance might come through simply adjusting the way you spend your time with a particular constituent–the same amount of time, just applied differently.  This could mean deciding to have a weekly date night with your spouse instead of other less intimate time during the week.  Or, it could mean finding a management job that allows you to use those technical skills you’ve missed using so much.  Better balance might also mean moving your time from one activity to another, or one constituent to another.

So, use this job change for more than just changing where you go to work and who signs the check.  Do some structured soul-searching and you’ll be rewarded with a richer life in more ways than a mere paycheck.

I was traveling by plane over the weekend and playing music on my iPhone.  I chose an album by Gloria Estephan and, when I heard “Get on Your Feet”, it struck me what a great song this is–about job search.  Well, OK, about pulling yourself through a lot of tough situations, but definitely about job search too.

The beat and the instrumentals make you come alive and the lyrics, the lyrics can make you bust through any road block.  Turn this song on first thing in the morning and you’re gonna get things done that day!

Want to hear it?  follow this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gj8hmf9cctk

GET ON YOUR FEET — Vocals: Gloria Estephan –  Songwriters: Casas, Jorge; Ostwald, Clay; Defaria, John Hill

You say I know it’s a waste of time
There’s no use trying
So scared that life’s gonna pass you by
Your spirit dying
Not long ago
I could feel your strength and your devotion
What was so clear is now overcast
With mixed emotions
Deep in your heart is the answer
Find it, I know it will pull you through

Get on your feet
Get up and make it happen
Get on your feet
Stand up and take some action
Get on your feet
Don’t stop before it’s over
Get on your feet
The weight is off your shoulder

I think it’s true that we’ve all been through
Some nasty weather
Let’s understand that we’re here
To handle things together
You gotta keep looking onto tomorrow
There’s so much in life
That’s meant for you

Get on your feet
Get up and make it happen
Get on your feet
Stand up and take some action
Get on your feet
Don’t stop before it’s over
Get on your feet
The weight is off your shoulder

I encourage you to make music a part of your job search–uplifting music.   There is no question it effects your spirit and your activity level.

What inspires you may be different that what inspires the next person.  Have some fun putting together a personal job search album of music that’s right for you.  Play it often, sing along, move your body, put the spirit it creates in you to work in your search.

Common wisdom says those of us over 50 need not apply.  Well, perhaps it’s not quite so absolute, but you know what I mean.

Know this first: common wisdom often has a way of outliving itself, and that’s the case here.  The over 50 thing still is a factor, but not near so big a factor as it was just 10 years ago.  Many businesses are now smarting from having released too many of us gray-hairs in recent years.  They now need experienced people age 50 and up who can help the younger set climb up the learning curve.

Here is something to contemplate: if you are over 50, the biggest barrier to your reemployment is likely you–not your age, your attitude and your self-image.  If you are in your 50′s, 60′s or even 70′s and believe in yourself and your value, it will show through to others and, believe me, they will take notice. 

Of course, the opposite is true too.  If you think people are going to discriminate against you, you will interpret every setback to be a result of it and you will be dragged down by it.  If you think you have nothing to offer and you’re an over-the-hill has-been, the message will come through in the way you talk, walk and behave.  Sure enough your thoughts will become reality.

The words you use, the way you say them, the way you walk, the way you hold your shoulders, the firmness of your handshake, the way you smile, the eye contact you have all make an impact.  And, this is important whether you are in an interview or just talking to a neighbor over the back fence.  Get some feedback and coaching on this if you sense yourself to be on an age-based downer.

The final word: Network.  Do yourself a favor and focus on networking as your primary channel for re-employment.  It is the most productive way to get re-employed no matter what your situation–and especially for us gray-hairs.  You can learn more about effective networking by reading other posts on this blog.

Most people in job search have only one measure they apply each day to determine success or failure–do I have a job yet.  This is a really bad way to measure the success of your day in my opinion.  In essence, every day ends as a failure except one.  What a downer!

It’s far better to evaluate each day in terms of process goals and results–i.e. how are you doing at the process of finding a job.  The process part of job search relates to posting your resume, making calls, meeting with people, writing emails, etc.  A good example of a better question to ask yourself at the end of each day is, “How many people did I talk to and what results came from those conversations?”

Let’s focus specifically on networking.  The process part of networking is reaching out to people you know, meeting with them, soliciting information and advice, getting introductions to new people you need to know and then going through the cycle with them.  You’ll notice there are several points in this process at which you can apply measures.

Reaching out to people you know:I don’t care who you are or what your situation is, you know at least 100 people, probably more like 300 if you give it serious thought.  So if your starting list is less than that you are thinking wrong about networking and how it works.  Reach out to everyone you know, yes, everyone.  I know, I know, it doesn’t make sense to you right now, but, if you think about it, you will recall numerous situations in your life where someone you know surprised you with what or who they knew.  You will experience deja vu on this score if you just give it a chance.  So, take this good advice and let everyone you know have a chance to learn what you are trying to accomplish in this job search, and let them have a chance to help.  You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Meeting with people: Set a goal for and keep track of how many real meetings you are having each week.  Phone meetings and face-to-face meetings both count, but casual conversations don’t.  A meeting has an agenda.  In this case it means you have talked about your objective, your background, the work environment that suits you best, your geographical preferences or limitations, the kind of information you need, categories of people you are hoping to meet, and specific industries and companies of potential interest to you.

Soliciting Information and Advice: Evaluate whether you are getting useful on-point advice or just a lot of random input.  If you follow a clear agenda  in meetings and have the right materials to show people, you should be getting relevant, high-quality information.

Getting Introductions to New People: This is a key dimension to track.  If you are getting introductions to an average of one or two new people in every meeting, you are doing an outstanding job for yourself.  But, you are not looking for introductions for introductions sake.  And, if you are clear in laying out for others your vision for yourself, you will get introductions to people who fit your strategy.  That is to say they will be at the right level and in the right organizations–or they will at least be people who can get you to the people you need to meet.

Also rate the quality of introductions you are getting.  If you are getting personal introductions, or phone, or email introductions, those are much better quality than call-and-use-my-name introductions.

After each meeting, debrief with yourself and rate yourself on these dimensions.  Don’t be too hard on yourself based on the results of a single meeting, but think about how you might have done better in that situation.  You’ll improve with each experience.  And, if you find you are consistently giving yourself low scores on a particular dimension, consider a major overhaul in your approach.  Perhaps this could be a topic of advice you raise with someone in your network.

All of the dimensions above are inferential indicators that your networking efforts are working.  Most people who network will reach a point where they wonder if their efforts are going to pay off.  They may find the meetings are producing the results identified above, but they wonder whether anything more will result from it–a job opportunity, for example, would be nice.  Soon they discover themselves in a meeting where an opportunity suddenly surfaces, or they start getting calls for interviews that have resulted from network connections.  If you do this right, the opportunities will come.

Cover letters should make an impact–a positive one of course. 

When sending a cover letter and resume by email, combine them into one file and attach them to the email.  The body of the email itself need only be a very short reference to the attachment.  This technique:

1. increases the chances of the cover letter being read,
2. makes it convenient for your reader [having only one document to open], and
3. ensures the resume and letter stay together.

Keep your letters short, never more than a comfortable page.  Put your purpose for writing in the very first sentence–and stick to your purpose.  If you have two or more distinct purposes in writing to your reader, you are better off writing a separate email or letter for each.

When answering an ad or Internet posting which notes several requirements, organize your cover letter so there is a crisp, concise comparison between the requirements of the job and your qualifications.  In other words, do most of the work for the recruiter.  Believe me, it will get noticed and give the recruiter a high opinion of you–before even glancing at your resume. 

You can see in illustration below how formatting the letter with the job’s requirements on the left and your qualifications immediately opposite makes it a piece of cake for the recruiter to see what a superb match you are.  He’ll be leaking water in his haste to read your resume.

Another cool touch to add to an electronic cover letter / resume combination is a series of hyperlinks internal to the document.  For example, you could make a link from a statement you make in your letter to a relevant section you have bookmarked in your resume.  Bang!  The recruiter is reading details on your experience and accomplishments regarding a subject of great interest.  Put a return-to-letter hyperlink nearby in the resume and, bang!, he’s back where he left off.  This is easy to do.  Go to Help in MS Word and look up Bookmark.

If you are going to write a letter, write with impact!

When I talk to recruiters their reaction to cover letters is luke warm at best, but that isn’t a reason for not doing one when it’s an option.  Take on the challenge and make yours stand apart from the rest.

At a minimum cover letters give you a chance to show you can put a sentence together, spell, organize your thoughts and express yourself clearly.  These are valuable skills in most jobs today.  But, cover letters can do more, much more.  They can bring up or expand on points not adequately covered in your resume.  And they give you a chance to underscore your knowledge of the hiring party’s particular industry or company

But, be careful!  A poor job on the letter will get your resume thrown in the dung heap without a glance.  So, proofread carefully.  And, if you have any doubts about how well your letter will come across, have someone else read it before you send it.

Many of my clients are reluctant to call on their networks for help in a job search situation.  Oh, they’ll reach out to a few close buddies, but not past that small group.  One of the reasons is guilt.  They feel they have neglected their network over the years and it’s really bad form to reach out only in time of need.  Not being a priest it’s hard to absolve them of this guilt and get them into the process–even though I see proof every day that networks are very forgiving and willing to help.

At the end of their search they all say they have learned their lesson about nurturing their networks and all vow to work at it faithfully in the future.  But, of course the majority of the time this vow is found in the trash heap with all the unfulfilled New Year’s Resolutions.  And the primary reason is building a personal network as an insurance policy against the next time you are unemployed is a flawed concept that is destined to fail.  When it comes to juggling all the priorities in day-to-day life, working your network on the if-come of possible job loss is an easy thing to let slide every time.  Successful network building has to be part of a larger , more tangible purpose.

Here is my advice: join a professional or avocational association, or volunteer your time at a not-for-profit organization–just one.  Not just any organization.  Do some research online, talk to friends and colleagues, and attend meetings.  Find an organization that is aligned with your goals [in business, or personal life].  Join the organization and then immediately join a committee that needs help–maybe organizing an upcoming event.  Be on at least one committee at all times, be reliable and do your share of the lifting.  Later, agree to lead a committee.  Ultimately, make yourself available to become an officer or board member of the organization.

If your employer will sponsor your membership, that’s great.  But, don’t make this a pre-condition to joining a group.  Join because you want to, because it’s important to be involved in what the organization is doing.

If you do a good job on the up-front research you will find great fulfillment in what you do and you will build an extensive network, without even knowing you’re doing it.  The momentum that comes from being aligned with the group’s goals and involved in its activities has the inevitable and concurrent effect of building and nurturing your network–with no special separate effort, with no self-serving motive.

Now, when the time comes for you to call on your network for help–whatever the need–there will be no guilt.

Lisa Mininni, Author of Me, Myself and Why?, interviews writer and career consultant Dondi Scumaci about the way to secure your career.  It’s a whole mew mindset and you better listen in at: BlogTalkRadio.  Click on the Career Moves episode.

Lisa’s book and Dondi’s book are both featured on the widget in our Books we Recommend blog post.  It’s a quick and easy way to order a copy through Amazon.com.

Want to know more about the authors?  Click on Dondi Scumaci’s Website and Lisa Mininni’s Website

Do the Recruiters or Hiring Managers you apply through provide Position Application Closure when you are NOT selected for an offer?

One of the members of a social media group I belong to posed this question online recently.   He then elaborated with, “When you apply for a job, and follow all the processes, participate in 2, 3, or 4 interviews, do the recruiters, hiring managers come back in a professional manner?  Do they thank you for your time, perhaps offer suggestions for future interviewing improvement, and discuss their concerns with you?  Or, do they simply drop out of sight [read Go Dark] and ignore you?”

Most of the comments in response to the post bashed recruiters for their lack of professionalism and for going dark rather than giving the bad news promptly and forthrightly.  Some recruiters weighed in saying this reaction really hurt to hear, and took the opportunity for self-promotion by avowing that’s not the way they operate.

Here is my experience and point of view.  Recruiters are awful and unprofessional about acknowledging receiving your resume in the first place.  It’s no longer believable when you hear them whine, “We get so many resumes it’s just impossible to acknowledge them all.”  [See the crocodile tears?  :O(   ]  They should be ashamed because it is so easy today to set up an automated response system.

However, once you have been interviewed more than once for a given job they get better [not near perfect by any measure].  I find in many cases they will close the loop with a “we’ve decided to go with another candidate” snail mail or email, but rarely a phone call.  That said, they generally wait until the whole hiring process is over which is usually several weeks, or even months down the road.  There is really no excuse for the long delay when they have decided early on in the process you are not a viable candidate.  Man-up, fool!

As to giving you coaching and feedback about where you fell short or how you could do better next time, don’t hold your breath.   But, here I have some sympathy based on my past life as a recruiter.   From the recruiter’s point of view, closing the loop with a communication that you are no longer a candidate is the end of their professional obligation.  I agree.

Additional coaching is optional, and often risky for the recruiter.  Yes, risky.  Oh, rejected candidates say all they want is some coaching to improve skills, etc.  But, when they hear the feedback they take umbrage, engage in debate, try to inveigle another interview, and sometimes sue.  Of course, you would never do this, but after getting sand-bagged a couple of times recruiters are understandably reluctant to make themselves vulnerable again.

However, knowing this should not stop you from asking for feedback.  You will find the occasional recruiter who is willing to take the chance, and you may get highly valuable information.  But, understand if feedback is not forthcoming, or isn’t very detailed and usable.   And, if you get someone who opens up, be appreciative, and be a good listener.

The phone is used extensively for primary screening interviews, and fairly often for secondary interviews.  Some of them happen when you least expect them and others may be scheduled in advance.

Rule #1.  If a call comes out of the blue and you’re in a less-than-ideal situation to talk, ask if you can schedule a more convenient time.  If your caller says it’s a must-do-now situation you have no choice, but don’t go ahead with the call otherwise.

Rule #2.  Always have a folder of important papers at your fingertips [always with you]: resume, background presentation key points, questions for employers, etc.  Make the print over-sized so they are easily read from a distance.  Spread them around in front of you so you can spot them quickly without shuffling.

Rule #3.  Go to hands-free mode if you can and use hand gestures as you speak.  They won’t be seen of course, but they will be heard because, when you use your hands, your voice takes on more vocal variety making you a more interesting person to listen to.  A headset likely gives you the best quality.  A good speaker phone [preferably digital] is next best.

Rule #4.  Stand up while you talk if you can.  It gives more energy to your voice if you can be up and moving.  Definitely avoid lounging back in an office chair or easy chair.

Rule #5.  Smile while you’re talking.  A smile can be heard–ask any salesperson.  You will sound more upbeat and you’ll find it’s nearly impossible to sound down or angry while you are smiling.

Rule #6.  Write down the caller’s name[s] immediately and use it [them] during the conversation.  Doing so will make the conversation more friendly and make you more likable–an important goal.

Rule #7.  Make sure you know the role of the caller [HR screener, potential boss, peer, etc.].  You will want to focus your answers differently depending on the caller’s position.

These rules won’t take the place of knowing your stuff.  But, you’ll make a much more powerful impression and enhance your chances of making it to the next interview stage.