find a new job

Master your Job Search with this free training!

June 29, 2016 By Marta Goertzen

When you are in a Job Search, it can be a very stressful time for anyone. Even for friends and family. You worry about what to say or not to say to the person who is looking for that dream job.

Knowing the statistics on how many people are applying for the jobs and how many get hired, can add to that stress.

For every 100 Resumes sent in for a job opening, they will generally lead to 5 job interviews and then only 1 person is hired for the job. One person out of 100.

Are you in the top 1%?

Will you stand out as the best choice from all the other applicants?

Are you Ready to Master your Job Search?

We know you CAN and we are here to help.

On July 12th, Katherine Burik, a Career Coach and one of our Interview Doctor founders, is hosting a free session online to help people learn more about having a successful Job Search.

The session, 5 Tips to Kick off a Successful Job Search or Career Transition, will be held online via webinar at 7pm Eastern on Tuesday, July 12th.

This session is for new graduates or people who are in a current job search or who have been looking to make the switch to another job or career, this training class will help them improve their job search plans.

Feel free to share this free session right away with your friends or anyone you know looking for a new job.

We will be covering the 5 Most Important tips that can help prospective candidates see success when looking for a new job. Tips that when applied to a job search can make a big difference in the results and help them find their ideal job!

Let us help you be in that 1% and find a job faster… and the ideal job for you!

Sign up for the session today. It is at 7pm Eastern on Tuesday, July 12th and you can join us online from your home or office. No travel necessary!

Whether Chicken or Egg, you still need a Recipe!

May 20, 2016 By Marta Goertzen

In our last post we learned about Joan who left the workforce ten years ago to raise her son. Now she is ready to get back into the workforce.

She is most concerned about stability. She wants a company that will be around for many years where she can make a good living to finance her son’s college education and her own retirement.

Last time we asked what you thought. We got some really interesting responses. Most people completely sympathized with Joan’s dilemma. Some people had been in that same position before themselves.

The consensus was that Joan needs to figure out what she wants first then find a stable company where she can do it. I completely agree.

This is the beauty of sharing in social media. There is always someone out there who has had that experience who is willing to share what worked and what didn’t. We can learn from each other!!

Whether preparing chickens or eggs, we still need a recipe. We need a plan. In this case, Joan needs a Job Search Marketing Plan!

Here are some steps Joan can take to find the job she wants:

Understand what exactly she wants. No one will help her find a job that makes her happy that uses her many skills if she doesn’t know what that is. Knowing what you want in very specific terms is the foundation of the Job Search Marketing Plan.
Build job search materials around that ideal job. The more specific the better. Start with the resume, then the LinkedIn profile then the extra marketing materials. Use a scalpel to remove the unnecessary bits and leave the experiences and accomplishments that support the ideal job.
Outline the dream company. What kind of people? What kind of products? What geography, size and structure?
Identify which companies in your geography fit that profile. Prioritize them according to the ones that you like most. We start with the top priorities and work our way around.
Research those companies.
Identify people who work there.
Now you can start networking. Reach out to people who work in those companies. Add them to your LinkedIn connections, start talking to them. Ask questions. Try to get coffee. Reach out in a way that makes them value you as a person because you value them. Talk professional to professional.

Joan started in the middle. She doesn’t know what she wants. She started reaching out blindly. That usually does not work.

As our readers know, Joan will be more successful if she does the planning first. Then she can reach out in a more methodical fashion to network her way to the job of her dreams. Or at least the job she can do in a stable company where she can achieve her personal financial goals.

The Interview Doctor can help Joan put together her plan. We are all pulling for you Joan!

Write it Down and Make it Happen

April 29, 2016 By Marta Goertzen

I had this great idea. Write it down and make it happen. I thought I invented some of this concept. When I sat down to write this blog around a video I made some time ago, I googled the concept to get some background material only to discover a book with the same title!! What a wonderful discovery!

In 2001 Henriette Anne Klauser PhD published a book with the same title, “Write it down, Make It Happen: Knowing What you Want and Getting It”. Her theory is based on the scientific brain research behind the power of positive thinking.

I love this quote from the beginning:

Write It Down, Make it Happen keeps that sense of wonder and is grounded in the same now-scientific truth – that setting your intent, focusing on the outcome, being clear about what you want in life can make your dreams come true.

It starts with writing down what you want. Action follows the intent.

Try this experiment: Tonight when you are thinking about this video and this idea, pick something that you want. Write it down on a sheet of paper and fold it in half. Tuck the folded paper in your bathroom mirror and go about your business. It is not magic. But something happens when you write it down.

Let your subconscious work on the problem for a while and see what happens!

Volunteering can lead to new Job Opportunities

April 28, 2015 By Marta Goertzen

Winston Churchill said, “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give” and an added bonus for job seekers, volunteering can lead to new job opportunities!

In theory we understand that a life worth living is about what we give to others. We nod our heads to this idea. But how can we put this idea into practice when we focus all our attention on our internal struggles? Make a living. Put the kids through school. Transport the kids to this activity or that. Move that stack of paper from one side of the desk to another.

Find a job. Now that is a big one.

What if making a life is interrupted by finding a job? Finding a job takes precedent over most everything, doesn’t it, especially if finding a job undermines our personal security. Then giving back moves to the back burner.

I have been there myself. When I had mouths to feed and a mortgage to pay and a job to find, it was all I could do to muster the energy to network with a smile on my face. I had little energy or interest in giving back. That could wait until life became more settled.

But what if there was a way to combine the idea of giving back and the need to make a living? Intriguing idea isn’t it?

I practice what I preach so I have lots of coffee with lots of interesting people! Yesterday I had coffee with the head of Junior Achievement in our area. A mutual friend introduced us so we met for coffee to explore what we can do for each other. I take this networking business very seriously!

My new friend, Michael Gaffney, came up with an intriguing idea. What if job seekers opened themselves up to volunteer with Junior Achievement? Interesting… Think about it for a moment.

Consider what you need to find a job these days:

Lots of energy… even when you don’t feel energetic
A plan so you don’t wander around aimlessly waiting for the phone to ring
A wide network of people
Creative ideas to get your name out there to people who can help you find what you want
New ideas to think about and talk about to others
A reason to get out of the house

Michael might be on to something here. Junior Achievement’s tagline is “Empowering young people to own their economic success”. JA volunteers teach students a prepared curriculum about the business world, personal finance and economics. Volunteers select the time frame that works best for them. You talk about something you likely know a bit about with students who are interested in what you have to say.

You get more than you give! Here are some of the advantages I can think of off the top of my head:

Be around young people with lots of energy
A chance to focus on something other than yourself
A place to be at certain times of the week
Something to put on your resume and talk about with prospective employers
A way to meet and network with people who can help you find what you want

The list of companies that support Junior Achievement in my community reads like a Who’s Who of desirable employers.

Wouldn’t it be nice to get the energy, information and contacts you can use in your job search and give back at the same time?

I am giving it a try! I volunteered to teach a program on Global Market Place (curriculum and activities all provided to me) at a local elementary school in May. I will report back how it goes. But I am confident that volunteering with Junior Achievement will be a win-win for the community and for me! How about you? Check out Junior Achievement for yourself and find your own win-win!

Say Good-Bye so you can say Hello to New Job Opportunities

April 8, 2014 By Marta Goertzen

We lost our dog, Rusty, last week. He was a dear friend for 14 years but it was his time to go. We will miss him dreadfully. As I go through all those familiar stages of grief (denial, anger, bargaining, sadness and finally acceptance) it occurs to me that I’ve been here before. I have lost both parents, some close friends and two dear pets, both long time members of the family. But I have felt this familiar feeling outside of death.

It occurs to me that we feel the same kind of grief and go through the same stages when we lose a job, particularly a job we have had for a number of years.

We get comfortable. We know the patterns, the people, the expectations with a job in just the same way I knew Rusty’s every look, every bark, and every gesture. I was comfortable. I loved that dog.

I have loved the people I worked with at many of the companies I’ve worked with. When I left those companies I felt alternately angry or sad until finally I achieved acceptance. I grieved for the lost job in almost the same way I am grieving for my lost friend Rusty.

Some people find it harder than others to reach acceptance about losing a job.

Recently I worked with a fellow out of work for six months. We will call him Brad. He had a great experience at his former company. He was with them for 29 years, almost unheard of these days. He knew every product, every person, and every customer. Brad was happy there… until he was no longer there. Now what? Brad is still mad. He desperately misses his friends. He doesn’t know what to do next.

Brad is grieving. Until he puts his grief in its proper place he cannot move on. It makes sense now why he can’t find a job. Grief, like anger, comes out of your pores like garlic. Brad must deal with his grief before he can move on to his next position.

Here is what I suggested. This might sound silly but bear with me. I suggested Brad collect some pictures or mementos from his past position, particularly some with the company name on them. Take them outside and put them in a large metal wastebasket or in his grill and set them on fire!! You heard me! Set them on fire while yelling at the top of your lungs all the reasons why you are mad. When it is all out of your system and the fire dies down, say good-bye softly. Shed a tear if you want. Then safely dispose of the ashes as mulch in your yard so the ashes of your former life can nurture something fresh and new.

It is time for Brad to look at life with new eyes, a new perspective. Then he can attack his job search with gusto!

After Rusty died my husband, Kermit, and I came home and opened a bottle of our best red wine, a bottle we’ve been saving for a super special celebration. We drank a toast to our lost friend, shed a few tears and shared stories of Rusty’s ornery antics. On the weekend we will have a party to celebrate old friends and a new perspective as we move on to take on life with new eyes.

You can too! Whether you are looking for work or not, what will you do today to look at your world from a new perspective, celebrating the past but relishing the future?