Blog [ Original ]

Looking Ahead to Create your Future Career Vision

December 4, 2018 By Marta Goertzen

“Objects in the rear view mirror may appear closer than they are…”

I swim in memories as I listen to this Meatloaf song. It seems like just yesterday I was directing HR traffic in corporate America. I was large and in charge. I had a great team. We led positive change. The senior staff respected me. Ah, those were the days.

Ever feel like that? I know plenty of job seekers and folks suffering in stuck careers who speak nostalgically about the way it used to be.

Looking backwards allows us to only see what we want to see. Those clear memories mask the pain, confusion and frustration right under the surface. Those bad feelings are not so close anymore. We forget.

It is so much easier to see the best parts of the past than to imagine the future. We have to create the future ourselves. It is right there, just out of reach.

Tomorrow can be kind of fuzzy. I had to create my own new reality when I started The Interview Doctor. Every day for the last fourteen years begins as a blank slate, a fresh start, an opportunity to reinforce my vision of the future. I have to find new clients. I imagine new marketing efforts. I build an impression of what success looks like in the new reality, what success feels like for me today.

My vision extends beyond business to include HOW I want to work. I set up my business life to support my personal vision of adventure, writing and travel. I did not have a roadmap. I had to create my own plan through trial and plenty of error.

Here are five tips to taking that first step to creating your own future vision:

Put fear behind you, pretend if you have to. You can find plenty of TED talks around this concept. Start with Ann Cuddy’s wonderful talk, “Fake it till you make it.”
Create a vision for the future built around situations that make you feel happy, confident and successful or problems you love to solve. Marinate yourself in that vision. Look at it from every possible angle. You have to be completely committed to find the courage to reach for the future.
Talk to a lot of people, especially experts in what you want to do. Let information be your protection against making bad decisions or focusing too much on the mirror
Take calculated risks. Put yourself in situations that make you a little uncomfortable. I find it secretly a little exciting when I am not exactly sure what is behind that new door. Take a different way home. Go to a meeting you would not normally attend. Volunteer for a committee if that is outside your comfort zone. Imagine you are standing on the desks like in that great movie, Dead Poets’ Society. The view is completely different up there!
Take action. A vision without action, even slow, calculated action is just a dream. Turn your dreams into reality by taking action to make it real. Start with baby step if you want but don’t be afraid to step out into the ether with me!

What does your future look like? Do you have a vision for where you want to be? Are you ready to take that big step into the unknown, putting the objects in the mirror further into the past? I would love to hear how you define your future or how you have taken a step away from that rear view mirror!

Check out The Interview Doctor’s 10 Be’s to Grow Your Career to see how you can take that first step to know yourself.

How to Find Job Search Clubs

November 27, 2018 By Marta Goertzen

Don’t be alone in your job search – find local job search groups so you don’t feel so alone.

Dear Interview Doc,

I understand there are groups out there that help job seekers learn how to find jobs. What’s the deal? How do I find one of those groups in Orlando FL?

Feeling blind in Orlando

Dear Looking,

Job search is tough. Being alone in your job search just makes it tougher. Job search support groups bring job seekers together to exchange information, share best practices and have someone else to talk to. I can’t underestimate the value of having a place to go periodically just to get out of the house!

In northeast Ohio, where I am based, there are some very fine job search support groups. Most are staffed by volunteers, some meet in local libraries or churches and some are sponsored by executive search firms. Many of these groups have LinkedIn Groups and websites. The trick is finding them.

Here are some great ideas to find the job search support group in your area:

Google “Job search groups YOUR TOWN”. When I typed in “job search groups Cleveland” I found all the groups I am familiar with in Northeast Ohio. They each have websites that include contact information.
LinkedIn Search. In the big white search box in the upper left hand corner I typed, “job search groups Cleveland” and up popped a bunch of names of people affiliated with northeast Ohio job search groups. If you click on those people, you will see their affiliation with job seekers groups. You can reach out to connect with those people and with the job seekers groups they represent.
Execunet is a national networking group affiliated with recruiters. The group in northeast Ohio is sponsored by Ratliff & Taylor, a large regional executive search firm that also offers outplacement services. Two groups meet monthly, one for folks making about $100k or more and another group for very senior executives making $200k or more. There is a small fee to attend the twice monthly meetings. They usually have a speaker, someone like me who specializes in some aspect of job search, but the bulk of the meeting is networking. Execunet has similar groups around the country. Some are more active than others. It is a wonderful way to meet people. Google Execunet associated with the major city near you to see if you have a local group near you. Then reach out to the organizer to get invited to the next meeting.
LinkedIn Groups. Everyone, particularly job seekers, should participate in LinkedIn Groups to network with people who can help. Many job search support groups have LinkedIn Groups. You can find the group in your geography by searching inside LinkedIn for “Job search Cleveland” or similar words until you find groups that sound like they are job seekers groups.
Meetup is a great place to find job search or career networking groups. Each of these groups has meetings. Each group is trying to find more people to attend so it makes sense they post their meetings on Meetup. I went to meetup.com and selected “50 miles” of “Orlando FL” for a client of mine in Orlando. Then in the search box I typed in career. I found many different networking opportunities for folks interested in improving their careers. Other keywords you can enter are “job search”, “career”, or “business networking”. Be creative. Check out the individual meetings to see which ones make sense for you. Inside each event you can find contact information about the organizers and even the people who plan to attend. Plus, if you get bored you can get a giggle over the strange and weird groups you find!
Facebook. You can search Facebook events to find events posted by groups focused on networking and job search. Connect with the organizers to see if this groups can be helpful.
Libraries. Many libraries view helping constituents with job search and careers as part of their mission so they often sponsor job seekers groups. You can ask the reference librarian at your local library if he or she knows about groups or meetings you can attend.

A final bit of advice. Job search is a numbers game. You need to meet lots of people to conduct an effective job search. Those people often gather at networking meetings. When you attend a networking meeting, ask the people you meet about other groups they know about that you might find useful.

Check out The Interview Doctor’s Free Job Search and Career Transition Training for more ideas on how to move your job search forward!

I GOT THE JOB!

November 20, 2018 By Marta Goertzen

This is a story of success and failure.

“I GOT THE JOB!!!

Compensation and bonus aligned! I start Friday!!!

Thank you again for this last push of encouragement and belief! I truly appreciate it!”

Amy

A great deal happened between this joyful message and the depressed mess Amy was a month earlier before we worked together.

The trick to coaching people around careers is figuring out the problem. Many times the clients have no idea what is going on. They just know something is very wrong.

Amy, an HR executive recovering from a layoff, was well networked. Her job search tools (resume and LinkedIn profile) were good. She had numerous interviews but never managed to land anything. She was depressed, frustrated, disappointed, embarrassed, humiliated… She embodied the entire range of job seekers’ emotion.

I made a calculated guess that Amy’s issue concerned interviewing. We spend an hour preparing for an upcoming interview using The Interview Doctor’s unique approach to interview preparation. Amy went away to practice as instructed. We exchanged a few texts and then she went off to the interview. She was nervous but had girded her loins with preparation, Interview Doctor-style.

She did great! With her preparation she was able to focus on the hiring manager because she was confident about what she wanted to say. They established an immediate rapport. Amy networked through a common connection who vouched for her skills and character which boosted her status to the hiring manager. She advanced to the next level and did great with the rest of the team and peers. After 3 rounds of interviews and some reference checking, the stars aligned for the job offer Amy wanted and that excited email you see above.

What makes the difference between getting the job and not? Sometimes it is as simple as getting some support.

Amy’s situation ended well because someone (me) listened to her, figured out the core issue and gave her the tools and the confidence to knock that ball out of the park! How would your career or job search change if you had that support behind you?

To improve your ability to get what you want in your career, check out The Interview Doctor’s worksheet, Tell Me About Yourself. Learn to interview like a pro! Let me know if you want more personal help with interview coaching for a specific opportunity. That investment in yourself might make the difference between success and failure.

Volunteering to Expand your Career and Job Search Visibility

November 13, 2018 By Marta Goertzen

Get out there and get involved!

I could hear the hammers before I turned the corner. Midday on one of the hottest days during a very hot Canton, OH, summer; and the Interfaith Habitat workers peeped out from their work stations. They knew I brought lunch!

Trinity United Church of Christ built two Habitat for Humanity houses this summer. I wanted to help but I am a documented klutz. No one wanted me to swing a hammer. But I can cook! This was a perfect opportunity for The Interview Doctor to contribute to a wonderful cause!

I laid out BBQ Chicken Pot Pie with homemade cornbread lattice crust, crunchy vegetable cherry coleslaw with a vinaigrette dressing (wouldn’t want to poison the fine volunteers with a mayonnaise dressing on a hot day!), a vegetarian corn, bean and tomato salad and little tiny fruit pies individually wrapped in wax paper. Kosher, halal and vegetarian for the interfaith crowd. I even brought cold ice tea! The crowd ate it up as they rested for a bit in the shade before returning to work.

Volunteering is a wonderful way to contribute to a better world. Here at The Interview Doctor, we volunteer all the time without tooting our own horns. I speak at many job seekers clubs for no fee in an effort to guide more people to new jobs.

I offer scholarships for job search coaching. Sometimes a confused job seeker reaches out to me with a networking question and I realize this person will never become a client but with a few minutes of coaching on the house, could turn the corner on their job search.

These small contributions by The Interview Doctor add up to big changes in some people’s lives.

Volunteering is also a strategic way to grow a business or manage a job search.

Start-up businesses these days often make a contribution to some charity as a way to market themselves or differentiate themselves from other businesses. Many companies like Toms, Salesforce, Tesla, Deloitte, Novo Nordisk and Connors use volunteering as a way to attract millennial workers who value social action.

A recent article describes how Giving Back to the Community is Good for Business. There are technical benefits like a charitable deduction for the food I purchased for Habitat for Humanity, but more important, volunteering in your community can be a great way to promote your business and get your name out.

I sometimes feel uncomfortable publicizing my community involvement. I could have (but didn’t) passed out business cards for The Interview Doctor or had a big sign saying, “Food Provided by The Interview Doctor, Inc.” (but I didn’t). I could have sent out pictures on Facebook, but I didn’t do that either. I guess I am doing it now though, by just talking about my community involvement.

Job seekers and entrepreneurs can volunteer to receive positive exposure and make valuable new connections while giving back to the community. A client, Agnes, is giving a keynote address at a national conference this winter. She is not charging a fee but is receiving excellent exposure and making valuable contacts. Another client, Marvin, made valuable job search connections volunteering at a local historical society.

Consider how you can publicize your community contributions through social media to raise visibility and improve your image while doing something good for your community!

Sometimes you can move your career forward by getting outside of yourself. Learn how to Grow Your Career Through Relationships! Check out The Interview Doctor’s 10 Be’s to Grow your Career for some ideas.

Job Search with a Difference

October 30, 2018 By Marta Goertzen

What are You Doing to Differentiate Yourself?

Seen recently in a marina bathroom Milwaukee: a pile of resumes tacked to a bulletin board stuck in a plastic sleeve with a picture of a smiling guy and the slogan, “Seeking Employment Take a Resume”. In the women’s bathroom! My husband saw the same thing in the men’s bathroom. What a creative idea! After all, the person who could hire him might have a boat in the marina.

Once I met a job seeker who wanted to get into the IT Department at a local hospital. He rode the elevator most of the morning one day in an effort to meet the VP Information Technology. He “ran into” her close to lunchtime and started a conversation about their ongoing system conversion. She was intrigued, invited him to the office like an old friend and introduced him to the team. In a short while he was a member of the team.

A current client coming out of the insurance industry saw the perfect opening at USAA. He submitted his resume according to the ad instructions. Then he started finding ways to get in front of the hiring manager, even though he does not know who that is. He reached out to two former co-workers currently employed at USAA. He found several people with a title that might be the hiring manager. We figured out some creative ways to get introduced to all of those folks.

What are you willing to do to get a job?

Are you willing to put yourself out there and try something unusual? How can you get your credentials in front of the right person?

Stop doing job search the “normal” way. Brainstorm some creative ways to get into your target company as a way to increase the odds that you will get the job you want. Check out The Interview Doctor’s 10 Be’s to Grow your Career for some ideas.