1) Have Faith & Count Your Blessings
- You are alive, have food on the table, clothes and shelter. Hopefully you have your health, family/friends too.
- Immediately after the reduction-in-force, I was able to support a family member who was diagnosed with cancer. This lasted approximately 1 year. After the family member was discharged it was just 1 week later that I received and accepted this offer.
- If you don’t hear back from an employer or don’t get the job, know that it wasn’t meant for you and something else will come along.
2) Know thyself first
- Emotional intelligence
- Ikigai is an overlap of all four areas – what you love, what you’re good at, what you can be paid for, and what the world needs.
3) Targeted approach
- Be very specific on what you are looking for (compensation, challenge, community/camaraderie, company culture, contribution, convenience)
- Identify companies which match your criteria
- Identify people within those companies
- Brand yourself consistently
- Resume
- Social media
- Business cards
- Networking/speaking
4) “Give First” Networking Approach
- Network every day!
- How can you help others and add value
- Build genuine connections
- Research attendees and come prepared with questions
- Listen when you join a conversation, then show you were listening
- Be yourself and don’t try to sell
- Be a network connector, help make introductions
5) Informational interviews. Have a specific ask, don’t ask for a job
- Ask for industry/skill advice
- Understand company culture
- Identify other connections within your target company
- Ask for recommendations for other networking connections or companies that fit your profile
- Several folks I eventually interviewed with formally, I had previously connected with and conducted informational interviews
6) Use LinkedIn Properly
- Have a full profile
- Active “daily” participation. Comment 5 words or more, write posts, write an article and then follow up with quotes and points from original posts
- Provide a reference or endorse skills for your network
- Follow companies and comment
- Be viewed as an expert
7) Follow the value of 168 (number of Hrs. in a week)
- It serves to remind us that we are born with two great gifts: life and the time to do something with it.
- Get up every morning and be purposeful in your activities. Keep score/lists
- Don’t just apply online…it’s a black hole. Always connect/follow up with hiring manager.
- Exercise your body and mind through this journey (workout, take classes, read)
- Do extra activities with your spouse, children, family, friends
8) Stand out above the crowd in your research
Use the internet (LinkedIn, Facebook. social media, company websites, articles, friends/family members, neighbors) to find out everything you can about potential companies, those that work at target companies and people that you are scheduled to interview.
Use that information to find “connection points” (i.e. if they like traveling, have pets, books, etc.). When interviewing, look around their office to understand what is important to them and get a sense of their style (Are they neat or do they have stacks of paper everywhere? What certificates or pictures do they hang on the walls?)
9) Stand out above the crowd at the interview
- Use the STAR (situation, task, action, result) method for response
- “Tell me about yourself” – don’t be boring giving a chronological account of your background. They have already read your resume. Be vulnerable in your response. For example, “I am a results-oriented servant leader who is energized by identifying and developing talent, building high-performance teams, and continuous improvement. Most recently I …” (provide an example of these traits which are relevant to the role)
- Share your value proposition, 90-day plan
10) Negotiate with a win-win approach and make the pie bigger
- Look at total compensation, not just base pay
- Be a P.R.O. – Make a proposal, give your rational, provide options
Source: Scott Tatro Operations Executive “Leading Organizations to Achieve Peak Performance” https://www.linkedin.com/in/scotttatro/