Blog [ Original ]

How prepared are you to network to find a job

July 28, 2015 By Marta Goertzen

The longer I work as an entrepreneur the more convinced I am that networking in job search is very similar to prospecting for new clients.

I am constantly trying new techniques to meet people who might need help from The Interview Doctor. Today was a perfect example.

I was at a Panera catching up with an old friend, Chad (building and maintaining relationships). We were sitting outside enjoying a beautiful sunny morning chatting about the ways we are growing The Interview Doctor. We swapped some stories about ways to train human resource people to organize job search better.

After we said our goodbyes, a woman I didn’t know stopped me. She apologized for eavesdropping but overheard us talking about job search. Sarah is a stay at home mom ready to return to work. She just doesn’t know what to do to make it happen. This is a pretty common problem. Job search has changed so much that even taking a few years off to raise children makes a job seeker feel pretty inadequate.

Sarah and I exchanged cards. I will reach out to talk with her with the idea of building a relationship. Whether she becomes a client or not, I know I can help Sarah somehow. Reaching out to Sarah could lead to more connections, more relationships, and more business.

The exact same activity works for job seekers.

Find people who can potentially help or that you can help.

Reach out. Start conversations. Build relationships. Ask for referrals.

Job search and being an entrepreneur are not for the faint of heart. Working together we can make a difference for each other. Working together we can achieve our goals!

Going out on a Limb … in a Boat!

July 24, 2015 By Marta Goertzen

Imagine the wind on your face, the sun reflected off the water. It is quiet. Life is simpler.

I want to go to that place!

But like most people, I live in a house with my family and all my stuff. I work hard to maintain all that ‘stuff’ that makes me feel successful. I worked in Corporate America for years creating and implementing plans and programs that advanced the corporate cause. I am proud of that work but it is exhausting and takes a toll. Like many people I dreamt of something else.

We are all one business meeting away from finding a new job. I know because I have been there. Now I have my own company, The Interview Doctor, where I work harder than I’ve ever worked before but I do that willingly to control my own destiny. With my business partner, Dan Toussant, we help companies and candidates organize job search better which helps advance our mission of helping people achieve their dreams.

Steve Jobs famously said, “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.”

We take that idea to heart! So effective this week, my husband, Kermit Ruegamer and I along with our cat, Jack, will be moving on our boat full time. Yes it is true!

We are making a huge Lifestyle and Life change.

I have been reluctant to talk publically about this. I don’t like to be the center of attention. I would rather focus on my clients. But I have become convinced that talking out loud about this change is an important way to pull the various threads of my life into one consistent message. I have been told our life change is inspirational. That makes me uncomfortable but if that is even a little true then I want to share my life changes so you can pull some confidence from me to live your own genuine life.

This life change is complicated. We have kept many balls in the air for many months preparing to move on the boat. We are renting our house. We let go of almost all of our possessions except those few things that fit into the storage closet under the stairs at home (mostly the paintings on the wall and family photos – not to mention my Kitchen Aid. I am not getting rid of THAT!) Most of our furniture now graces someone else’s home. Most of the clothes and “stuff” are available at our local Salvation Army store. Even the books were sold at Half Price Books.

Crazy you say? Yes, it is crazy. I know you have some questions so let me take a shot at answering a few questions that come up all the time.

Why?

We want to live a simpler, more genuine life without a lot of things. We want to travel and see the world from the water while we are young enough and in good physical condition. We want to demonstrate to our clients and friends that it is possible to get what you want.

Aren’t you scared?

Sure, a little. We tried this for 14 months in 2012 / 2013 when Kermit and I took our boat on the Great Loop, circumnavigating the eastern part of the US by water in our 36 foot powerboat. We loved it! We even loved being together 24 / 7 which shocked everyone who knows us. We have been preparing for this transition for over one year. We believe that all this preparation will make the transition successful.

What about The Interview Doctor?

I will run The Interview Doctor exactly as I have in the past, better I hope. I proved it can be done when I ran the business while on the Great Loop. I plan to return to northeast Ohio monthly for meetings and speaking engagements. We have several Interview Doctors who work with clients now. Most of our work is done on the telephone anyway. With a computer, smart phone and hot spot I can be in business anywhere! Who knows, we might uncover some great ways to utilize my travel to market The Interview Doctor in different ways and in different places!

What kind of boat do you have?

We have a Cruisers 4450 Express with twin Volvo diesel engines. This boat weighs about 30,000 pounds (15 tons) so it is not a row boat. We have a dinghy on the back for zipping around.

Our boat is named “Good Karma” because we want to live our life in a way to warrant good karma and because Kermit likes to respond to people hailing us on the radio “You’ve got Good Karma”!

Good Karma has three cabins (bedrooms) with queen beds, two heads (bathrooms) with separate shower stalls and a salon (the main room with a dining table, kitchen and couches). I even have a little office space in the aft cabin (the master bedroom in the back of the boat) with a desk and storage cubbies. We are exchanging our 3200 square foot house for 675 square feet of floating condo.

Good Karma holds 500 gallons of diesel fuel and 150 gallons of fresh water so we can be self-sufficient if we choose to anchor out and not go into a marina but we tie up at a marina most times. We use regular dishes, cook our own meals and enjoy the occasional bottle of wine just like regular people in regular houses. Our “house” just moves.

Where will you be located?

We are based out of a marina in Sandusky OH, a short drive from Cleveland, for the warm five or six months of the year. In mid-September this year we plan to take the boat east to the Atlantic Ocean and make our way to Florida and the Bahamas for the winter. I plan to return to northeast Ohio every month for my regular meetings and to see clients and contacts. We will take our Suburban to Florida and leave one car in Canton OH for trips home. In the spring we will travel in the boat back to Ohio for the warmer months.

How can we stay in touch?

The same ways you have in the past – by phone or email! I am still in business and still available for coffee and conversation. We just have to schedule a little differently. I will write about our adventure in The Interview Doctor blog, on Facebook and in our boat blog, goodkarmaloopin.blogspot.com.

Jimmy Carter said, “Go out on a limb. That’s where the fruit is.”

Sometimes we just have to do something different. I am going out on the limb to find the fruit. Come with me on the journey so you can decide which limb you want to go out on.

You say potato…Prospecting & Networking are Important to Entrepreneurs & Job Seekers Alike

July 21, 2015 By Marta Goertzen

I hate prospecting. I hate picking up the phone and making calls. I hate walking into a room full of people I don’t know and talking about myself.

But I have to. I have to prospect for new clients all the time. It is a fact of life for an entrepreneur like me. It is also a fact of life for job seekers.

Face it. Finding a job is a numbers game. You have to find more people to build relationships with people who can help you find that elusive job that is right for you. You are prospecting exactly like I am! Our goals are a little different but the process is exactly the same.

Let’s take a deeper look at prospecting for opportunities to see if there is a way to make prospecting a little easier. Instead of cold calling and lots of big, faceless networking meetings, let’s change our definition. I like this definition much better:

“Prospecting is a perpetual search for new customers by initiating contact with likely buyers through a series of relationship building activities, including:” phone calls, visits, mail, voice mail, and social events.”

Notice the key words:

Perpetual – Prospecting is forever. You can’t just network for this job. Job search networking will be a part of your life forever. We are all just one meeting away from finding our next job. You will need your network forever so start accepting that idea.
Likely buyers – Just like a small business person, when you network you are looking for likely buyers, people who will be helpful, people who know someone or something you need to know. These are your targets.
Series – Prospecting / networking is an ongoing project so consider your activities to be a series, not just one touch. It takes several touches to make this work. You should set goals and measure your progress in outreach and networking activities.
Relationship building activities – Your goal is to build relationships not just reach out and touch someone. Just collecting LinkedIn contacts is not sufficient. You must do something with your contacts – you must build relationships so people know who you are. You must be prepared to give people what they need in order to get what you need. Those relationship building activities take many forms. Don’t confine yourself to LinkedIn contacts or networking meetings. You should be having lots of coffee to get to know people!

What are you doing to turn your contacts into relationships?

How are you helping your contacts so you can build relationships to find new opportunities?

I would love to build a relationship with you to help you get the job you love! Just drop me a note to let me know how I can help.

Advice to Fellow Introverts about Networking and Interviewing

July 17, 2015 By Marta Goertzen

We say it over and over. The best way to find a job is from talking to other people who can introduce you to other people. Eventually this process of constant conversation and introductions puts you in site of opportunities. It is a question of numbers. The more people you meet the more likely you are to uncover opportunities.

Interview advice introverts Same is true with interviews. The best interviews turn into conversations between two professionals. This only happens when both parties are calm and interested.

This constant interaction is great fun for some people. My partner, Dan, thinks it is great fun. What happens when that process of constant conversation and introductions is at the bottom of your “things I love to do” list?

I think in my head. The words that come out of my mouth have been rolling around in my head for a while. Sometimes the words refuse to come out at all or come out kind of jumbled, not like it sounded in my head at all. I am an introvert.

Meeting new people and going on interviews is both exhilarating and terrifying to me at the same time. I love to learn about new people and I love to talk about The Interview Doctor. But, when the conversation turns away from those topics, I get flummoxed. I often tell people I would love to pick up dog poop in my front yard than walk into a room full of people I don’t know yet. Most times the terror overwhelms any potential exhilaration. I have actually gotten back into the car and driven away rather than going into a large networking meeting.

How then does an introvert like me handle networking and interviewing without stumbling all over her tongue? With some care and a lot of advance work. Introverts cannot wing these things. Here are some tips for introverts preparing to network or interview:

Know what you want to say. What are the main points you want the other person to know or you want to know about the other person? Make a list.
Find the most frequently asked questions and prepare your responses in advance. Write your answers down and edit them until the answers you give will support the information you want the other person to know.
Practice your responses to frequently asked questions until the words come out of your mouth smoothly. This takes some time. Think of it like an actor preparing to share a speech with the audience.
Do your homework. What do you want to know about the other person? What is his or her background? If you are going to a large networking meeting, think of three or four topics you can prepare to discuss as small talk. Read the Wall Street Journal or LinkedIn news to find current events topics you can discuss fluently. This is not cheating.
Lay out your materials the night before. Pack your portfolio. Lay out your clothes. Allow enough travel time. Being late or unprepared just increases the stress.

The key to great job interviews and meeting new people is preparation. Words flow better when you are prepared. So be prepared next time and notice the improvement!

Attitude impacts Success

July 14, 2015 By Marta Goertzen

“You cannot tailor-make the situations in life but you can tailor-make the attitudes to fit those situations.” – Zig Ziglar

I was born with this annoying optimism. It comes naturally. I never remember a time when I was so overwhelmed I couldn’t deal with what was in front of me. Ok, maybe that divorce was pretty icky but I came through on the otherwise convinced I can do anything.

People tease me that everything I encounter is “the best!” with an exclamation point on it!!

We live in complicated times. Jobs are tough to get, tough to keep. Achieving career goals sometimes takes a back to seat to keeping this job. We can’t special order the situation in which we find ourselves, but we can control how we respond.

Attitude is everything. With a positive attitude, I can climb a mountain. I can tackle any challenge. I can make lemonade out of lemons.

I insist on dealing with life on my terms now. My career is my own now – to take in whatever direction I want to go.

What about you? Do you allow the situation to influence your attitude? Or do you remake the situation to suite your future? Take your job to the next level and really own your career. What would you do if you could do what you want? Once you can answer that question, you too will remake your situation with a positive attitude.