A job seeker is the teacher, not the hero

What do Steve Jobs, Martin Luther King, and a successful job seeker have in common?

Effective communication.

As chief career storyteller here at Movin’ On Up Resumes, I was captivated recently when I watched a talk from presentation guru Nancy Duarte. She compares the presentation styles of Jobs and King, and I couldn’t help but notice that there were rich lessons there for the job seeker who is committed to advancing his or her career by sharing their ideas.

Duarte spent two years deeply studying the elements of story and presentation, delving into Joseph Campbell, George Lucas, Aristotle, and others.

In the TedxEast talk, she starts by telling us that we can change the world by sharing our ideas. “Maybe you’ve had an idea, but it was rejected” she says, “and maybe some other mediocre idea was adopted, and the only difference between those two was in the way it was communicated.”

What is the job seeker or careerist’s “idea” in this context?

-          THE SUB-IDEA: Any idea that can make money, save money, improve quality, or strengthen company culture

-          THE BIG IDEA: That hiring or promoting the candidate will change the company for the better, presumably because of his or her knack for coming up with great ideas and winning support for them.

The presenter isn’t the hero. The audience is.

When Nancy examined the concept of the hero, especially as put forth in Campbell’s The Hero’s Journey she realized that the presenter is not the hero.

The hero is the audience (in the job seeker’s case, the people making the hiring decision) and the presenter (job seeker) is the mentor or Yoda.

The company has a desire, i.e. to enter a new market, improve profitability, or become a better corporate citizen. Your job is to help the company overcome roadblocks and emerge transformed.

To be hired, you must demonstrate how you can transport a potential employer from an ordinary world to an extraordinary world.

Nancy has actually discovered a shape that represents how Jobs and King—along with Martha Graham, Abraham Lincoln, Ronald Reagan, Leonard Bernstein, and Richard Feynman—connected with their audiences, evoking emotion and action.

In the beginning, the presenter shows the world as it is.

My note: this is similar to a sales presentation in which you start with the “pain,” the urgent problem that must be solved, the one that keeps the audience up at night.

The lows and highs of this shape represent reiterations of “the world as it is,” and “the world as it could be.” It’s worth watching the video to get a sense of the nuances, but that’s the idea.

Leave your audience with a call to action and an inspirational vision.

Finally, these great presenters give a call to action (what is the next step that the audience can take now that they have adopted this idea). In King’s I Have a Dream speech, the call to action is:

“With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.”

But taking action is hard. The last thing a presentation must do is deliver a visceral image of the ideal, one that the audience can hold onto, one that will push, pull, and inspire them to action. King’s utopic ending:

“And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual:

Free at last! Free at last!

                Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!”

It gives you chills, doesn’t it?

So, how do I actually do this in a resume or at a job interview?

Take a look at this resume.

Right off the bat, it creates a picture of the world as it is versus the world that could be with the intro/tag line:

The opening profile goes on to ask some pointed questions:

The answer, “what could be,” is demonstrated by a visual image of a brand strategy with consumers at its heart.

Just like Duarte’s graph, the resume continues comparing what is to what could be for the reader by giving concrete examples of problems faced by her employer and how the solution (having Elizabeth London as an employee) helped the “hero” (read “company”) overcome roadblocks and emerge transformed.

In the slide show below, we see a similar pattern. “What is,” and “what could be” are contrasted on the first page.

The case studies that follow go back-and-forth, contrasting the situation before and after implementation of Saul’s ideas.

In the interview: Research the company so you know their pain points. Match those pain points to stories that demonstrate how you are uniquely prepared to overcome them. Write them down in CAR format (challenge, action, result) and practice them.

Always remembering that the company is the hero of the story. Find a way to connect the dots, explaining how each story is relevant for the company you’re interviewing with.

But what about leaving the hiring team with a call to action and a final, inspirational vision?

This is a bit of a puzzle on a resume, isn’t it? I’ve always used the cover letter for that, but after thinking about Duarte’s ideas (and considering that only about two thirds of cover letters are read), I believe I should work on doing this in the actual resume document. I’ll have to play with it. If you have any ideas, feel free to share them below in the comments.

Who are you to compare your job search to the ideas of Martin Luther King or Steve Jobs?

When I started writing my post, I felt a bit humbled. After all, I’m “just” talking about resumes and job search here, not about social or technological revolution.

I quoted Dr. King on a resume I once wrote for a maintenance supervisor, and that quote came back to me and prompted me to share these thoughts with you. The quote is:

If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.

Whatever your calling, it is worthy of attention. It is worthy of the best possible presentation, so that your ideas, whether about social justice or effective building maintenance, can be heard… can change the world!

“Wow!” was my first impression. It was so sleek and sexy. Then the page that was freezing on Firefox loaded quickly. I found the interface for bookmarking and saving files to be intuitive. I am now a Safari user.

What does this have to do with your resume? Your resume will yield interviews if it:

1. Gets in front of the right market: Safari somehow worked its way onto my desktop or I never would have tried it.
2. Looks beautiful: That “wow” feeling captures interest like nothing else. That doesn’t mean you should jump the shark and have a blinking lights and rainbows on your resume. But it should follow solid design principles that were thought out according to your career marketing strategy. Take a look at some samples to see what I mean.
3. Follows through with relevant content: If I had tried Safari because of its sleek look but found it didn’t suit my needs, I would have abandoned it. Make sure your resume is targeted to a specific position, industry, and type of company and that it speaks to why you are a uniquely qualified match.

I listen to much more music than I used to before I got my iPod. It’s so sleek, sexy, and easy to use. I don’t use the iPhone because I don’t need a smartphone, no matter how sexy. But for some lucky consumer, an iPhone is just what they need, and Apple will be sure to find that person by getting in front of them, being beautiful, and providing the functions they need.

I guess you could say that an Apple a day boosts your resume!

Need help? Contact us!

Follow your bliss,

Kim Mohiuddin, NCRW, CJSS

Chief Career Storyteller, Movin’ On Up Resumes

Maintaining revenue in a shrinking market, for example, could be a more difficult task than doubling revenue in a booming market.

So, as a candidate, how can you express the context of your accomplishments? One of my favorite ways is to create business case studies in miniature and include them in the resume. Take a look at this example from a wine industry executive:

Wine Executive

What do employers need to know about company and market forces that make your accomplishments even more impressive? One way to get at the answer is to think of each accomplishment in terms of CAR.

Challenge: What was the reason you started the project or what was the problem you had to address?

Approach: What was your strategy?

Results: What were the results?

From the above example, you can see that results (accomplishments) themselves tell only a part of the story. Don’t shortchange yourself by giving decision-makers anything less than a complete picture of all you’ve done.

Need help? Contact us for a quote on a professionally written resume.

Follow your bliss,

Kim Mohiuddin

Nationally Certified Resume Writer and Chief Career Storyteller at Movin’ On Up Resumes

This week’s newsletter is inspired by my client Tony who asks, “Even as a ‘younger’ person in the workplace, is it still good to keep things that would give an idea to my age, like graduation year etc., off of the resume?”

Most job seekers are aware of the potential for discrimination against an older candidate, a topic I addressed in this article.

But what about the younger applicant? Is youth a plus or a minus?

It depends. Consider your field and industry. Often, creative industries like web design, IT, and advertising have a positive bias toward youth. If this is you, yippee! Go ahead and use that ultrasound image as your Facebook avatar.

On the other hand, if you are a financial advisor or a life coach, youth will likely be a hindrance.

If you feel your career hopes could be dampened by people perceiving you as naive or inexperienced, there are a few strategies you can use to encourage decision-makers to fall in love with you before they know your birth date.

1. Leave graduation dates off your resume and LinkedIn profile. It used to be you had to put a graduation date in LinkedIn. Thankfully, that is no longer the case!
2. Take a photo that makes you look older than you are. Use it on LinkedIn and other social media. Consider hiring a professional photographer for this if you’re not getting good results on your own. (Just adding 5-10 years is enough. You don’t want people to feel duped when they meet you.)
3. If you don’t have a long work history, focus on the depth of your experience. On your resume, instead of terse bullet points, opt for more context. Express the problem you were addressing, explain how you did it, and then share bulleted results.

Deception is not your goal. Of course, your real age will become apparent at some point during the hiring process. But you want to get your foot in the door so the hiring process doesn’t end before it’s begun. These strategies allow hiring managers to base their decisions on who you really are, not on their preconceived notions.

Follow your bliss,

Kim Mohiuddin, Chief Career Storyteller at Movin’ On Up Resumes

“I’ve tried that,” he said. “Twice I actually got to a hiring manager and both times the hiring manager told me to go through HR.”

With my background in sales, I know very well that you have to go through a lot of NOs to get to YES. But telling my marketer about the numbers game (which he’s very familiar with) didn’t seem enough. What meaty insight could I add that would make a real difference in his outlook and his results?

The answer came to me on Thursday. I was attending my Certified Job Search Strategist class and I posed this question to the instructor, job search luminary Beverly Harvey. On the line were several career experts. We all know the situation. The traditional approach of sending out resumes in response to posted openings is not effective. HR departments are down to a skeleton crew. They don’t have time to go through hundreds of resumes and are relying on internal referrals to fill positions.

But what can I say to the savvy job seeker who gets that, is using targeted networking, and is experiencing disappointing results? Once Beverly gave me her answer, I thought “of course!” Then I came up with three ways to make the most of her insight.

She said, “If the hiring manager is referring you to HR, your message is not compelling enough. You should be presenting yourself as a solution to a serious problem.” Here’s my suggestion for doing just that, in three simple steps.

• Define your value. What urgent problems does your industry face—that you can solve?
• Research your target companies’ needs. What are their specific pain points? This research can include informational interviews that would help you hone your message while also making important contacts—very efficient!
• Lead with generosity and sizzle. Once you understand your contact’s problems, and how you are uniquely qualified to alleviate them, lead with an offer to help. This could mean sending over a case study describing how you solved a similar conundrum, or an offer to sit down and brainstorm ideas. Don’t mention your need for a job. Just think sincerely about how you might help, regardless of what it would mean for you. Opportunities will spring from this!

Note: Sending something other than a resume, such as the case study mentioned above or a value proposition letter, is key since many companies strongly enforce a policy that requires all resumes to go through HR.

I know, simple steps aren’t necessarily easy ones. But if you go back to replying to job ads and shooting your resume into the black hole of corporate application portals, you’re almost certain to be disappointed.

Follow your bliss,

Kim Mohiuddin

Chief Career Storyteller, Movin’ On Up Resumes

When I look at everything I’m supposed to be doing in my job search, I get overwhelmed. Where do I start? How do I prioritize?

I’m so glad Scott asked this question, because the feeling of overwhelm hits everyone trying to manage a career and a life (and squeeze in some time for self care). This is a huge pitfall, because when most people feel overwhelmed by their job search they just end up sticking their head in the sand.

If you’re employed, the head-in-the-sand posture may mean just coming to work and “doing your job” without putting any effort into defining and broadcasting your brand within the company and beyond. You’re setting yourself up for career transitions that happen to you rather than those instigated by you.

Currently unemployed? Maybe it’s because you’re hiding behind a hastily prepared resume and massive job board submissions that don’t get you any results.

First, give yourself some love. After all, you’ve been doing the best you can, and that’s been pretty darned good. But let’s now move forward with a more effective way. Follow this advice and you’ll see big results, no matter how much time you have to spend on your career. For most people, an hour a week of effective career management generates better results than hours of ostrich-like behavior.

How can you identify the highest priorities for effective career management? The answer is deceptively simple. Figure out which part of the career management cycle you’re stuck at, and prioritize that.

Are your goals defined? If yes, then…

Based on those goals, have you identified your value/your brand? If yes, then…

Are your marketing materials (resume, cover letter, LinkedIn profile, etc.) prepared in accordance with your goals and values? If yes, then…

Have you identified your target companies? If yes, then…

Do you have a thriving network and are you in touch with them about your goals and targets? If yes, then…

Do you have enough data to assess your progress based on results (feedback on resume; input on interview style; number of first, second, and third round interviews and/or offers)? If yes…

Use the new information to go through the cycle again, refining your goals, message, targets, network.

If you don’t have clear career goals, your resume cannot be effective. If you don’t have target companies, it will be very difficult for your network to help you.

Approaching the stages of career management one at a time will make you more effective and prevent overwhelm. I challenge you to figure out where you are in the cycle and do one thing in the next week that will move you forward. It doesn’t have to be time consuming. Just think of something that will have an impact and do it! Don’t hesitate to comment here or write with specific questions.

Anthony Robbins said, “Discipline equals freedom.” Take this to heart, and before you know it you’ll be soaring like an eagle!

I just searched the term “hidden job market” on Google and got about 214,000 results. I’ve seen a lot of hype around this seemingly elusive cache of great jobs. At the end of the hype is usually a pitch about how some product or other can help you tap into it.

The secret is that the “hidden” job market (the 80%+ of jobs that are never advertised) is right in front of your face. It’s right in the newspapers, on the streets, and at the coffee shop. You just have to be looking.

What do I mean?

Recently, a client got an executive-level supply chain management position by noting that a Los Angeles based company was moving manufacturing to Mexico. He had specific expertise in setting up and running just this kind of operation. A search of the company on LinkedIn revealed that he had a connection who knew someone at the company. An introduction later, he was into a hiring process for a position that did not yet exist.

This works at all levels.

A family friend saw a “coming soon” sign at a juice shop. He got the management information from a sign in the window and asked if they were hiring. A couple of weeks later he was slinging smoothies.

Open up your local business journal and look at the headlines with a new perspective. For example, Lufthansa adding Airbus 380 service to San Francisco (first flight was yesterday) is expected to increase tourism and add 1300 direct and indirect jobs in the city.

News like this about a new consulting firm in the works offers a chance to meet the players involved ahead of time. Perhaps you could help with the startup in some capacity. One client of mine got a job at a firm that way. It wasn’t even in his field, but a good friend had confidence in him. Now it’s a $10M+ business, growing at about 50% a year. It will likely go public in a couple of years, and he’s one of only two founding employees with stock options.

Need some help translating business news into possible opportunity? Startwire.com’s news feed will help with both practical news tips and with teaching you how to interpret news in your area through the prism of your career.

Once you know how to look, no job will be able to hide!

Get recommendations for each position you’ve held.

I’ve noticed that many candidates have more recommendations for their recent experience than for older positions. Makes sense, since many have just come to LinkedIn in recent years.

But, having just one recommendation for a position doubles its relevance to the LinkedIn search engine used by recruiters to find candidates.

It’s also important to note that, while multiple recommendations mean a lot to the human eye, they do not affect LinkedIn’s algorithm.

When you ask someone for a recommendation, be sure to help them out by guiding them as to what you’d like them to speak about. This will also help you maintain a unified brand in your LinkedIn account. An sample communication could look like this:

Hi Bob,

I’m working on spiffing up [or “optimizing”, depending on how well you know Bob] my LinkedIn account, and I wonder if you would feel comfortable writing a recommendation.

I’m targeting startup companies for my next move, so if you could talk about my talents in both sales and technology implementation (because I may have to wear more than one hat) and/or my ability to meet or beat spending targets while still delivering high quality systems, I’d appreciate it. [Make sure whatever you ask of them is realistic given your performance and their understanding of your work.]

If you need more guidance, feel free to let me know. I’d like to make it as easy for you as possible. And, as always, I’m here to help you in any way I can. Don’t hesitate to reach out.

My best,

Kim

If you’d like to know a lot more about optimizing your LinkedIn account, I highly recommend the DVD LinkedIn for Job Seekers, by Jason Alba. You can order it here.

Young entrepreneur Andrew Horn has shared his secret for making networking enjoyable and productive, and it takes advantage of the age-old concept that one should be interested to be interesting.

So, how do you become genuinely interested, not just asking the classic questions like, “What do you do?” “Where do you live?” “Do you have a family?” and pretending that the answers are riveting? Here are the six magic words that will fast-forward a conversation to “the good part.”

“What gets you most excited?”

Here’s Andrew explaining how this phrase has made a big difference for him:

I’m working with an IT executive who was wondering whether she’d have to take a salary cut, just to get her foot back in the door after a fairly sizeable period of unemployment. I say no. Let me explain… and you happily employed readers, this is for you too! Your annual review (read raise negotiation) is coming up.

Every job opening has a salary range that the hiring company is willing to pay.

A company will go above their initial range if they think a candidate offers a uniquely high return on investment (ROI) and/or that they align with company culture in a way few others would.

A company will pay as little as possible if they are choosing between candidates they view as offering the same set of skills and experience. Sometimes they’ll even forego making a hiring decision rather than risk making a poor one.

Negotiating a starting salary near the top of the range can add tens of thousands of dollars a year to your compensation and approach a million dollars of additional lifetime earnings. (The total extra amount grows exponentially because future raises and starting salaries at new jobs are negotiated upwards from there.)

So how can you be the must-have hire who commands the big bucks? By painting a clear picture of your ability to solve your future employer’s most pressing problems. Do this by:

1. Proving your monetary worth. Review your entire career and look for ways you’ve made money or saved money for your employers. Be sure those are prominent on your resume, individually and cumulatively. If a company knows that you’ve repeatedly added $800K to the bottom line, they’ll feel confident hiring you at $100K+.
2. Being branded, not “blanded.” Make sure your communications and everything about you express your brand. That means your resume, the messages you leave on voicemails, and the clothes you wear to your interview are aligned with each other and painting a picture of who you are and how you work. The right company, which is genuinely aligned with who you are and vice-versa, will have to have you.
3. Speaking to prospective employers’ specific needs. Yes, of course you’ve researched your field and industry and created your documents and job search plan accordingly. But are you personalizing your communications? Have you Googled the company you’re writing to or interviewing with to find out what their current hot-button issues might be and how you can contribute positively from day one of your hire? Do it! Yes, it takes more time, but a few strategic, meaningful communications will get you further than masses of form letters.

Get the picture? If your employer does, it’ll be worth a million.