More managers are using social networking sites to screen potential job candidates — and some are rejecting job applications because of what they learn. The top reason for eliminating a job applicant because of an online profile was a reference to drug or alcohol use in the applicant’s profile.
“In order to be irreplaceable, one must always be different”
– Coco Chanel
This weekend I watched the life story of Coco Chanel with the older Chanel played by Shirley MacLaine and I thought WOW, this woman is not only courageous and ahead of her time, but because of this, she is timeless and recession-proof.
Coaching Challenge: What’s one thing that makes YOU different – and irreplaceable?
Fred was dubbed The Cold Call King. And he was. Fred could walk into any office building and walk out with an order. It was amazing.
How does this apply to your job search? Take it from Fred; sometimes making a call will get you to the right decision maker. Sometimes it’s a matter of timing. Your call came in, when Shirley walked out. You look professional. You have the right skill set. You get the interview — today.
Your enthusiasm can shine through on a call. I recently hired an intern because she had guts cold calling me. She had a great pitch. She just graduated with her Masters degree in Counseling. She wanted to get her foot in the career industry and learn from the best. (Hey, who doesn’t like being called the best?) And she said she’d do whatever it took to get there. If I needed filing done, she could do it. She wasn’t picky. She also had tons of enthusiasm. Throughout the interview process — and since the day I brought her on board — she was on time, dressed professionally, and the one word she used to describe herself was “excited.” It shone through. My clients loved the positive attitude and professionalism. Now it’s your turn.
Today I read a terrific article by Liz Ryan – “Personal Branding in Slashtown” about people who want to be all they can be – and tell the world. I’m a blogger/career coach/personal brand strategist/rock star, and… Yeah. Hard for one person to take all that in, right?
Her point, which is right on the money, is that you’ve got to decide who you are and communicate that – not everything all at once. It’s confusing to the listener.
I worked with a client making a career transition, and we worked hard on creating a dynamic brand-driven sound bite that gets attention, without overwhelming the listener.
Picking one thing can be tough, but it’s important. As my client first said, working through the exercise, “It’s like my whole career – skills, experience, knowledge is summed up in this one project. It just doesn’t feel right.”
That may be true, however, in networking, and asking your friends, etc. “who do they know,” it is important to be clear and focused. Sharing ONE story helps people get an idea of what you can do for someone. It also helps them easily share your story with their connections. They become your personal sales force.
Aha! Yep, she networked like a rock star after that and made several connections, which led to interviews.
Challenge: Create your sound bite. Be focused. Here’s a link to a step-by-step strategy: Personal Branding Sound Bite.
Hobbies on resumes? You have got to be kidding! I thought that went out in the ’70’s.
They did, when people put their hobbies like this:
Hobbies: Reading, Writing, Bicycling.
Who cares? No one, and that’s why they went out. But here’s a way to make them “in” again. If you list hobbies, make sure they are relevant to your targeted career (your audience) or differentiate you in the right way or are truly a part of your personal brand.
For example, I worked with an IT consultant who wanted to relocate. He was a young person with three years’ experience in IT. In his previous life though, and while working his way through college, our IT consultant had a side job – as a rock climbing instructor. How cool! Here’s a person who takes risks, who is athletic, and has a life outside a dimly lit screen. We added this job to his resume. Result? He sent out two resumes and got two offers. He called me while on the road – in his new company-paid car – and said, “Wendy, all they talked about was my rock climbing! Can you believe it?”
Here’s another. I worked with a nurse (RN) who had experience and wanted out of staff nursing. She wanted to transition into pharmaceutical sales, but she technically had no sales experience. In addition to her many transferable skills (like terminology, physician connections, etc.), we added her “hobby.” She was a competitive marathon runner. And she had placed in the top three for a variety of marathons more than once. She also competed worldwide – and had run a marathon in Prague. Again, GUTS. This hobby demonstrated that she was very competitive, had drive, endurance, and played to win. Good traits in sales.
And my own experience (albeit a while back), I was a newspaper reporter. I covered the HOG (Harley Owner’s Group) rally in Milwaukee. Yep, dressed like a biker and interviewed Harley owners from around the globe. Awesome! My story got nominated for a national award. I put this on my resume when job hunting. Got called by a recruiting firm. They had heard about me before, and now it was time to interview. Guess what? The guy interviewing me owned the Harley parked outside. We talked about the article and Harleys for about an hour. I then met the operations manager and the president and got the offer. Here I had my portfolio with my performance evals and records, and they wanted to talk about Harleys. Later, I asked about that. They said, “Wendy, we already knew all about you. We know that when so-and-so took over the old office, people were still asking about you for two years. We knew about the performance records. That’s why we kept calling. But, we needed to see if you’d be a fit for our team. Well, after you talked with so-and-so about Harleys, we knew you would fit right in.” Old “so and so” was my boss for a while. When he left, I got to be boss – for that department. 🙂
These stories are not just about hobbies, but rather a culture fit within the organization. In the employment biz, we call it “right fit.” Think about this, the average person spends 2080 to 2600 hours per year at work! Wouldn’t it be nice to enjoy being there?
Challenge: What are your hobbies? Are they relevant to your career goal? Would they be a differentiator for you? Do they demonstrate your brand? Your attributes that are hot selling points for the role? If so, take a risk. Add it to your resume.
Rock Your Career® 
