personal marketing plan

Between a Rock and a Hard Place: What to do When the Money Runs Out

March 8, 2016 By Marta Goertzen

I like to tell people I’ve been laid off more times than most and always land on my feet. My secret: I plan well, save a lot, and never assume that this job is my last. Most of all I think I am lucky.

This recession was hard. Plenty of folks lost their jobs. It is particularly hard on people who hoped they would stay at their jobs for the rest of their lives. They built their lives around job and salary expectations that turned out to be flimsier than they hoped. They floundered when faced with foreign job search methods. Always too busy to step away for lunch they had no contacts and were unprepared to network. The money only lasts so long.

What is a person supposed to do when the money runs out between a rock and a hard place?

Here are some tips based on what I have done and what I have seen other people do, not in any particular order:

Find temporary work to pay the essential bills (food, housing and utilities). Deliver pizza at night if you have to.
Explore consulting. I know people who write grants or perform portions of big projects outsourced by large companies. Project work can lead to more project work, more contacts, and leads for full time positions.
Contact temporary agencies. There are temporary agencies that specialize in professionals too. These firms are no longer only for clerical or production workers.
Set aggressive networking goals to stay active and visible in the marketplace. If you previously had a goal to have two meetings a week, increase your goal to five meetings a week then start digging to find people willing to meet with you.
Be sure you have a job search marketing plan and update it regularly.
Become an expert on the new way of networking. Have something to offer or something to talk about to get the other person talking. Don’t just ask if the other person knows about a job. That is a sure conversation-killer. Read about your field then ask new contacts questions to provide a reason to meet.
Utilize LinkedIn more thoroughly. Make more connections. Set goals to double your connections then start posting interesting articles and commenting in LinkedIn Groups to increase your credibility and visibility.
Start your own blog. Write about your experiences and opinions. Turn your layoff into an adventure. You can help other people.
Simplify your life. Sell off extra “stuff” to lighten your load and bring in some cash. All that extra stuff lying around just weighs you down and makes you feel bad.
Significantly reduce your expenditures. Bake bread instead of buying it. It is easy and tasty. Grow a vegetable garden for extra food. Clean your own house, do your own gardening and wash your own windows. Cancel cable tv and stop downloading books to your Kindle / Nook and go to the library instead.
If you have kids at home and the money ran out take advantage of what remains of the social safety net.
Volunteer. This makes you feel better and gets you out in the community. See what help they need at the local food bank or the local school. Volunteer for a committee in your professional association. You have to be at the meetings anyway to network so why not volunteer to increase your visibility and connections?

The recession is over, technically, but we all know people still having trouble. What other ideas do you have for our friends between a rock and a hard place? Share your thoughts with a comment or in our LinkedIn Group, Job Search Check-up.

Finding a Job in City A While Living in City B (Part 2)

January 20, 2012 By Katherine Burik

Seven years later I again decided to make a cross-country move to a place where I, again, didn’t know people. I was unsure about the job market with a plunging economy, and I worried that no amount of experience would help me find a job. I did have tools at my fingertips that weren’t there before. I had social networking sites like Facebook and Linked-In. This time around, I was not only able to share my plans for moving with the people around me, I could easily connect with friends and family much closer to the place I wanted to live.

With a simple post of, “Looking for job ideas in education in DC,” I had messages and emails coming from friends and friends of friends all over the country. Suddenly everyone I knew, either knew someone, was related to someone, or had dated someone who lived there. I took any phone number, email address, Instant Messenger screen name anyone passed along; I was introduced to friends of friends in Facebook messages, connections were suggested through Linked-In—the ability to connect was incredible.

But, then I also acted. Not only did I take the information, I contacted the people. No, not everyone was in my field or knew anything about exactly what I wanted to do. But, people were again very helpful, answering questions about location, reputation, commute times. Many offered to point me toward someone in the area who knew the answers they didn’t know. And like my previous experience, any chance to share my story was an opportunity to refine my goals and my ability to communicate them to other people.

If you have questions or comments, let me know on our Interview Doctor blog site; I’ll be happy to answer your questions. Check out Part III of this story in the coming days.

Finding a Job in City A While Living in City B – Part 1

January 17, 2012 By Katherine Burik

Finding a job is difficult, let alone finding a job in another city across the country. But I’ve done it. Twice. When you’re looking for a job in the city where you currently reside, you have many advantages—like knowing the market, knowing the possibilities, knowing people—all things you might not know when searching for a job in another place. There are a few things I’ve used both times I made the move to another place that not only resulted in me getting a job; I also got the job I wanted.

Making Connections

The first time I moved to another state I knew no one. I had no family, no friends (okay, one fairly good male friend), no one I knew that lived anywhere near where I was headed. That didn’t stop me from telling and talking to anyone and everyone I knew about the fact that I was moving, where I was moving, and what I was interesting in doing with my career once I got there.

While at a professional conference with a colleague she came out of a session I hadn’t attended and told me the presenter she’d just listened to was from the place I was moving, and she was signing books. I didn’t even stop to buy the book; I immediately got into the book-signing line. When I got up to the table I gave her the story I’d been giving friends and family for weeks. She offered to help, gave me her business card and phone number, and wrote down names of other people she thought could help me. I called her, and we got to know each other over the phone. She called people on my behalf, suggested more people I could contact, and talked me through some of the current popular themes and buzzwords in the district.

Two things (I suddenly realized) had happened: Talking to everyone I knew about what I wanted to accomplish helped me rehearse and develop my story. Inevitably people asked questions out of interest that I hadn’t thought about. Those questions helped me refine how I shared my goals. When it came time to talk to someone who was in a position to point me to a potential job, I knew what I needed to say, I knew the most important things I needed to communicate.

The second piece of it was that when I finally did make a connection I could use, and she offered to help, I kind of seized the moment. It felt uncomfortable at first, and I worried about coming across as desperate, but it worked. She pointed me toward the district in which I would end up teaching, a highly regarded district in Colorado, and my connection with the author I met at a conference in Ohio lead me to professional connections that lead to a job offer and later, career advancement.

There’s more to this story, actually quite a bit more. Check this site; I’ll be back with more soon. Questions or comments, let me know on our Interview Doctor blog site.

Tracking Job Seekers, with a Nautical Edge

October 12, 2011 By Katherine Burik

I am tracking half a dozen job seekers right now. I met these folks after doing their resumes or coaching them as they work on their searches. It occurred to me that job seekers these days are like little ships on a big dark sea. It is tough and scary. Not everyone has the right tools. I want to help but I am not with them in their little ship. They pretty much have to steer this thing on their own.

Some of the job seekers I am tracking have been at it for a while. They are getting tired and beat up from this “adventure”. A couple are just starting out but they are changing careers or companies after long service. They don’t know what to do. One person has been at it so long her unemployment is just about over. It is tough out there. I bet you all know someone with a similar story. What can we to do help?

There are five ways to help with a nautical edge:

Be sure your navigation equipment works. Get a second opinion on whether your resume is helping or hurting your efforts. If you keep coming up short after interviews, get coaching. You are probably unaware of the ways you could improve your interview or networking techniques.
If you stall, readjust the sails. Turn the ship in another direction so the wind can catch the sails again. One fellow caught a new wind by networking in a different way. He checked out some new groups at LinkedIn and found new people to network with. He made some contacts and got a new feeling of hope. Another woman started listening for job openings by widening her networking base. She learned about a quiet opening through this new networking and might have an interview. This has given her new confidence.
Don’t go it alone. Find support from other ships. You can’t just sit at home staring at your computer and phone. Get out there. Join some job seekers groups. Volunteer a little at church or at the local elementary school or charity. Go to the library to use the computer instead of sitting in your kitchen. Attend seminars and workshops for job seekers at your library or local college. The trick is not to be alone. It feels so much worse when you are alone.
Turn on your radio. The other day I was shocked to learn that a job seeker out of work for months was not networking through LinkedIn. How could that be? He was conducting a job search without a radio. I patiently explained how this tool could be helpful. I linked with him when he set up his profile. In a week he networked with more people than he had the first six months. His search was invigorated, he felt better, and he is making better use of his time. All because he turned on his radio. Be sure you are using all the tools you could use.
Be persistent. A positive attitude helps in difficult seas. It is tough out there. Use every trick you can think of to keep positive. A negative attitude is like garlic. It comes out through your pores. To keep positive, be sure to exercise to pull out those endorphins. Eat right. Set a regular sleep schedule. Be social. Get out of the house regularly. Look people in the eyes and be confident.

Let me know if I can help.

‘Create Your Own Personal Marketing Plan for Your Career!’

April 12, 2011 By Marta Goertzen

The Interview Doctor and Lighthouse Coaching Present:
“Create Your Own Personal Marketing Plan for Your Career” Seminar

Want to know how to land that promotion or dream job?
Thursday, May 26th from 6:00 to 7:30 PM, the Creative Source at 4623 Everhard Rd. N.W. (near Belden Village) in Canton, Ohio will be hosting the Personal Marketing Plan, a professional development course provided by Dan Toussant of The Interview Doctor and Scott Pachan of Lighthouse Coaching. The “Create Your Own Personal Marketing Plan for Your Career” workshop will guide you in constructing your own strategy for success in today’s competitive workforce. Whether you are looking for the next big promotion, landing a great job, or mapping out a solopreneur venture, this workshop will equip you with the tools and resources it takes to get you there.

Topics to be covered:
• Budgeting for success
• Resume building and tactics
• Identifying your personality traits, skills, abilities, dream, values and passions
• Discovering Your BRAND
• Creating Your BRAND
• Communicating Your BRAND
• How to Tell a Compelling Story – YOUR Story

Cost $20 if registered (on-line) by May 24th, $30 at the door.
Enrollment limited to 12 persons. Enroll now!!!