Threshold Consulting: It's Your Life, Own It!

Networking: It's A Way of Life!

This is another post in a series of monthly advice posts made in association with the Career Collective, a group of professionals who collaborate to provide guidance for job seekers and careerists. The topic for July is “Networking, tips for overcoming fears, and even making it fun!”

It’s no secret that most job seekers resist networking. I always find this amazing, since continuing to meet new people and build new relationships is such a key part of managing your career – and your life.

In fairness, it seems, networking that is so immediately goal directed as finding a new job can be stressful. And perhaps it always will be. Yet developing your networking skills can bring intrinsic satisfactions – from the immediacy of an interesting conversation with a colleague to the satisfaction that comes from realizing you are connected to a broad community of people who matter.

When I think of networking as part of life and all the intrinsic satisfaction it can bring, I think of Carol Ross. Serving as coach on for her Networking Naturally Program, I know that Carol's philosophy is that networking truly is a way of life and can happen anywhere and any time. So, I asked if she’d do a brief interview for my July Career Collective post. She said yes, so I recorded the following Skype call. While the video call quality is not crisp, I think Carol offers clear ideas on ways to be more successful in networking. Enjoy!

Once again, many thanks to Carol!

Is Your Career Trapped in the Matrix?

This is another post in a series of monthly advice posts made in association with the Career Collective, a group of professionals who collaborate to provide guidance for job seekers and careerists. The questions topic for June is "Heating Up Your Job Search."

I know that with the shape the economy is in, people who are looking for a job are really feeling the heat. The reality, though, is that frustrated job search has been a long-standing concern, even in better times. Part of the problem, it seems to me, centers in job search methods. They are traditional and passé.

I’ve been thinking this for a long while, and planned to do a post to offer some new perspective. As I was about to write, I stumbled upon a great post from Chris Brogan, “Avoid the Many Versions of the Matrix.” He raises the question, “Job security= being employed by a stable company. Matrix or no?,” and concludes: “There’s what we think is real; there’s what we observe as real: and then there’s what we can change.”

In reading the post, it occurred to me that many of us career coaches foster being trapped in a version of The Matrix. No, we don’t take the role of Agent Smith, the relentless villain who pursues Neo and other humans. Rather, we more often function as Morpheus, offering our clients the blue pill of illusion or the red pill of reality. And not raising too much of a fuss if most choose the blue pill.

The fact is, we more often support a matrix-like view of how people can be successful in getting a job. You know the one. Prepare a sharp resume, strong cover letter, network for job leads, and sharpen up your interviewing skills. Add to this, the propensity of many job seekers to rely on “applying for the job,” and you can see how this leads to a situation where people operate inside of what they “think is real.”

So, what is real?

Well, putting aside the truth that “there is no spoon,” one view of reality is this: for years, insiders have had the edge in winning job offers. And the evidence for this is the vaunted “hidden job market,” which fills an estimated 70 – 80 % of jobs before they’re posted. If you think about it, the candidate who wins an un-posted job most certainly has an inside track of some kind. Either they are an internal candidate, or have a relationship with a company insider.

None of this is to say careerists should abandon traditional job search methods – they still seem to be successful 20 –30 % of the time. It is to say, however, that your focus needs to be not on heating up job search, but in pursuing the “cool” status of someone “in the know.” In short, you need to work at becoming an industry and company insider. And this does take work. Yet, today, we know what matters and have the capacity to do something about it.

What to can you do? Here are just a couple of ideas.

Start by unearthing your personal brand. It’s the foundation for your success. In the process, you can achieve the clarity that helps you articulate what you want to achieve professionally, the unique value you offer, and who needs to know about you. Your personal brand establishes your point of view and provides a platform for engaging others inside of your brand community.

Cultivate relationships with people already in your brand community, but also work to expand it. You probably already know lots of professionally relevant people. In fact, if you attend professional meetings, you likely share drinks and stories with them. Still, there is real benefit in growing your brand community beyond geographic boundaries. Today, via the magic of social media, you have unprecedented access to people globally. And among them are the industry and company insiders you need to meet and start “hanging out” with.

The new reality of successful career management is that you must gain visibility and credibility – and connection – with the insiders who can be important to your professional success. Today, web presence not only provides that visibility, but also drives relationship building. Consider LinkedIn. It has grown dramatically to become a robust tool for engagement. Sure it is, and has been, great as a resume, Rolodex, and job search engine. Today, however, features like Answers, Groups, Status Updates, and a host of application, including Google Docs, Twitter, and SlideShare help you to bring your profile to life.

Even more, these are tools of attraction and connection. Not only do they invite people to learn about you, but allow you to learn about others. They also give you a basis to start conversations that lead to genuine relationships. So, the real value of social media is in your ability to find people as well as information – and then engage based on what you find. Over time, you gain the reputation and connections that drive the perception of you as an insider. 

There is, of course, a paradox here. Once, online connections were looked at suspiciously. Online relationships were not seen as a real relationships, but as fragments of virtual reality, kind of like the Matrix. Yet, increasingly, a heated up social media is driving an ever-increasing range of “real world” mass-mingling events. The game is changing. You now have the tools. And today, if you want to move ahead, your best choice is the red pill.

Results 2.0

In April, I wrote about how I’ve been collaborating virtually on several projects with my friend Carol Ross. At that time, she had actually traveled to Beautiful Decatur, Georgia, where we worked together on a great project!

It is a one-day workshop sponsored by the Leeds School of Business, at the University of Colorado at Boulder. It’s called Reclaim Your Career: Professional Presence in a Social Media World. During the workshop, Carol and I will be providing an overview of trends that have given rise to new strategies of career management. We'll put special emphasis on the need to develop personal clarity that leads you to a public persona that is congruent both online and in face-to-face interactions. As well, we'll discuss the importance of connecting with your brand community to build your visibility and credibility, while developing mutually beneficial relationships with people for whom you are relevant.

Here is Carol talking about the program, in a video recently shot at the school:

If you’re in the Boulder area on June 17, or if you know someone who is, I highly recommend this terrific workshop. It has generous University sponsorship, and is offered for an unbelievably low registration fee!

What better way to figure out how you can take your career back?!

The Job Interview As Shared Narrative

This is another in a series of monthly advice posts made in association with the Career Collective, a group of professionals who collaborate to provide guidance for job seekers and careerists. We’ve observed that sometimes a long-time job search winds up in an interview scheduled with little lead time; so the questions is: What should job seekers do now to prepare for interviews? 

Let’s face it. The phrase job interview conjures up feelings and images most of us would rather not entertain. And it only adds to our apprehension when interview advice references terms like targeted selection, behavioral interview, situational and stress interviews, panel interview – just to point to a few! Nor does it help that most people seem to reserve interview prep for the time when they’re in active job search, and feeling especially pressured to make a great impression in order to win a job offer.

Yet, it seems to me that there is a flaw in the typical thinking about job interviews: it is in the notion of being a job seeker preparing now for an interview. The real question, I think, is how does the interview fit with the long-term management of one’s career?

If we take the long view, managing one’s career involves having some degree of self-awareness of specific instances of one’s successes and failures. Ideally, we are able to capture the elements of those successes and failures to monitor, maintain, or improve our performance. And if we don’t, there is very likely someone else who will. It’s what performance reviews are intended to do, after all.

Taken as a whole, these individual instances of success and failure weave the story of our career, and perhaps even our life message. While seemingly disparate elements, they are episodes, or chapters, or plot lines that form a larger narrative. In fact, this relationship to story is not novel. It is clearly captured in the most fundamental approach to interview prep: create accomplishment stories to describe your experience. It’s what the STAR Technique is all about; namely, creating stories that tie together discrete situations and/or tasks faced, action steps taken, and results achieved.

Our careers represent our narrative, with stories that get told in formal performance meetings, in “water cooler” chatter, after hours with colleagues and friends, during mentoring conversations, and while networking generally. Indeed, our stories are what give us visibility and credibility inside of the communities of practice made up of the people who do what we do, and more broadly in brand communities that include the people we serve.

I believe that thinking of our careers as narrative has a powerful implication for how we conceive of professional interactions, in general, and job interviews, in particular. And it’s this: discussions of our professional experience are truly opportunities for shared narrative. Trading stories with an interviewer about our shared experience allows for a sharing of meaning, and supports the kind of bonding that takes place in discovering the things we share in common. It is a fundamental human need that drives folklore, which is often a device for transmitting a culture's morals and values.

If the final outcome of a job interview is to select the candidate who has not only the required skills but also represents the best cultural fit, then your ability to engage in shared narrative over the course of the process can have an impact on your success. Still, this is not something you should construe as just another interview strategy. In a world driven by digital presence and always-on social networking, the ultimate approach is to step outside the analog, on/off thinking that conceives of discrete events that are part of a job search process. Instead, find regular opportunities to share who you are in a way that ties you to the culture of you communities.

Cross-posted at William Arruda's Personal Branding Blog.

Welcome to the New Way to Work

For several months, I’ve been collaborating on several projects with my friend Carol Ross. Our collaboration has been virtual, relying on phone, e-mail, webcam, twitter and other social media tools. However, this week, we had the opportunity to work together, face-to-face, at my home office in Beautiful Decatur, Georgia.

It was a fabulous experience that not only moved the work forward on our biggest project to date, but also contributed to deepening our already solid partnership. As Carol says in this segment of a video we shot, we have translated shared interests into a collaboration that leads to the benefits of a “real job.”

Welcome to the new way to work! Fading fast, for increasing numbers of people, is an organization-driven model for hiring and long-term employment. In it’s place? Network-driven work opportunities generated by your community and taking many different forms. Yes, we are increasingly part of free agent nation, the land first described by Dan Pink in a 1997 Fast Company article and subsequent book. It is a land where you can reach across the web to connect, engage, and collaborate - finding satisfying work while bringing value to your shared brand communities.

Living in a free agent nation, changes everything. Even work inside of organizations. Unlike work environments of the past, the new way of working is not about being guided by your boss or job description. Nor is it about compliance. And it certainly isn't about keeping your head down. Rather, as pointed out by Seth Godin, in his recent book Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?, it’s about standing up and bringing your talents to the task at hand!

We are at time where you truly need to gain the personal clarity that allows you to be author of your own career, and able to tell your story in a compelling and meaningful way to the people who look to you for the value you can bring. So, get clear about who you are, what you offer, and the people you serve - and live your story!

Same As It Ever Was…

This is another in a series of monthly advice posts made in association with the Career Collective, a group of professionals who collaborate to provide guidance for job seekers and careerists. The questions this month, in honor of April Fool’s Day, are: How are you fooling yourself about your career/job search? What can you do about it? "How to avoid being tricked by common job search blunders?" 

April Fool’s Day. Job Search. It’s easy to see how the idea of fooling one’s self comes with so many of life’s big change efforts. So, I decided to research April Fool’s Day and found that at least part of the tradition involves sending someone on a fool's errand. According to Wikipedia, this is “a task that cannot be accomplished because of fate or because it is a joke. It comes mainly in two varieties: trying to find something that does not exist, or trying to accomplish an impossible task.”

So, it seems this is almost exactly fitting for job search! Or, at least the traditional approach as many people implement it. You know: resume, cover letter, business cards, networking events for job seekers, and inviting anybody and everybody to connect on LinkedIn. Actually, it’s not that any of these elements taken alone or together is foolish. No. Mostly, it’s putting them in service of the desperate quest of landing, once and for all, in the promised land of a steady paycheck, benefits, and a daily structure that allows you to blend in.

Frankly, even when you do manage to find a job, you still face a world in such flux that it would be delusional to think it’ll last. In 1994, William Bridges wrote about the end of the job. A few years later, Dan Pink wrote about the rise of Free Agent Nation. Perhaps they were just a bit ahead of their time, as “the job” seems to have done quite well for itself, over the years. Of course, we’ve also seen lots of dislocation in that time, as we’ve witnessed the world becoming flat, with jobs disaggregated, digitized, and off-shored.

Just recently, an Expert Blog post in Fast Company, highlighted “The Downfall of the Institution and the Rise of the Personal Brand.” Starting with the impact of social media, authors Nick Nanton & JW Dicks clearly point to the power you now have in your fingertips to drive “buzz about you [that] in turn raises your profile and credibility,” so you’re no longer “an employee with limited options.” Instead you become a “free agent operating no differently than the sports stars who are able to offer their skill to the highest bidder.”

Their powerful conclusion is this:

“Now, in the new ‘Branded Economy,’ you are all allowed to play the role you want in building your brand and building your value. If you don’t take control, you will risk becoming irrelevant and relegated to the position of a cog in someone else’s wheel.”

Clearly, it’s time to venture out. If you haven’t gained personal clarity about the value you bring, get started. If you aren’t exactly a digital native, time to become a digital immigrant and find your way to a presence in the new world of the social web. As long as you stay tied to the concept of traditional job search in order to find a regular job, you are fooling yourself.

When I think of self-delusion, it prompts a chain of thought starting with lyrics from the Talking Heads’ classic song, Once in a Lifetime. I literally think: “same as it ever was, same as it ever was, same as it ever was, same as it ever was…only its not!” And because it’s not, you need to get a clue from one more line from that song and ask yourself, “How Do I Work This?”

Cross-posted at William Arruda's Personal Branding Blog.

 

Were You Always Like That?

Call it an elevator pitch. Call it a self-introduction. Describing ourselves is one of the most challenging things we are called upon to do.  Some people stumble through. Some people say way too much. Some people wrap themselves in buzzwords related to their area of expertise. Fact is, most folks simply aren’t comfortable talking about themselves, whether in live situations, on paper, or in online profiles. 

Yet, in today’s ever more connected and competitive world, crafting a self-introduction has never been more important. Not only does it relate your expertise and convey your unique promise of value, but it's also key to inviting and encouraging people to connect with you.

At recent career transition strategy session, I asked attendees to introduce themselves, and include one key piece of information they believed a decision maker should know about them. What I didn’t tell them was that I’d be asking why they shared what they did! Frankly, I was as surprised as they to see what happened! Nearly everyone shared information in a relatively bland and safe way, many wrapping their message in some form of corporate speak. Yet, in every case we discovered that by digging a little deeper, people had exciting, even compelling reasons for what they shared.

In one case, a young project manager said he works hard to exceed expectations, leading me to think, “Yeah, you and everybody else!” But I didn’t say that. Instead, I asked, “Were you always like that? Give me an example from high school” In response, proudly told us how he had competed with several of his scouting friends to become an Eagle Scout, earning the distinction at 15 (about two years ahead of the usual age). As he told us, his energy increased leading to a noticeably enhanced emotional connection! In the following “ah ha” moment, he realized he could craft a new introduction to convey that he is, and has always been a high achiever, using his Eagle Scout achievement as well as work examples.

Frankly, part of my motivation doing for doing this exercise came from reading Be Sharp: Tell Me About Yourself in Great Introductions and Professional Bios, by Paula Asinof and Mina Brown. In discussing how to craft a powerful self-introduction, the authors point to three core elements:

1. The Essence Factor: A short professional description that best captures the scope of your experience.

2. The Guru Factor: A statement of any special expertise you bring.

3. The Star Factor: A statement of attributes and/or abilities that set you apart and cause others to admire you.

Putting these elements into your communications about yourself makes you memorable, clear, specific and compelling.  Even more, your ability to relate your story with energy establishes an emotional bridge that makes it easier for people to connect with you.

Cross-posted at William Arruda's Personal Branding Blog.

The Public Life of Your Personal Brand

Most people would readily agree they have a personal life, but few would describe themselves as having a “public life.” Sure, we have our work life and our home life. Yet, we don’t usually think about having a “public” dimension to our lives. Politicians and celebrities have public lives. We do not. We are apt to believe our careers are part of a daily blur of activities and don’t really stand out.

Yet, to a large degree, professional success has always been driven by the positive regard of others. It shapes our reputation. And although we might not consciously make the connection, reputation exists by virtue of a public life. Sure, many of us have tended to be conscious of making the right “career moves.” Still, we’ve not usually thought of proactively managing our success in a “public life” context. The advent, and virtual explosion of social media, has changed that. Forever. 

Today, if you want to be successful, you need to respond to the incessant demand to have a public life, especially as defined by the strength of your web presence. In fact, with 79% of US hiring managers and recruiters reviewing online information about job applicants, it means if you are not digitally visible, you don’t exist. So, the link between career success and showing up online is becoming stronger. 

Fortunately, people are recognizing the need to anchor their careers (and lives) on the web. Just witness the explosive growth of professional networking site, LinkedIn, which has grown to over 50 million business users worldwide. Further evidence of the explosive growth of social media is reflected in Facebook’s average daily growth of 600 thousand new users, and Twitter’s 1,382% year-over-year growth rate as of February 2010.

Of course, today, web presence requires more than the static or passive web page. Sure, you’ll need to post profiles in online communities you join; and ideally, these will capture you in terms of unique attributes, motivated skills, and even proof of performance to demonstrate your value. But that’s just for starters. Especially since your personal brand truly comes alive in the way you engage others – both online and in face-to-face situations. So, you also need to think about your brand as conversation and not as pre-scripted messages! 

Fortunately, the key to managing your public life is relatively simple. First, you need to show up in a way that is authentic; in other words, be yourself.  Second, you need to take a genuine interest in others. After all, that’s what drives conversation! Yet, while the formula is simple, it helps to find and integrate the good advice and perspectives or others. And while there is lots of advice out there, I think you’d do well to take a look a terrific Chris Brogan post, Be Sexier in Person. It’s a great read, with great comments, and lessons you can apply across your entire public life! 

Cross-posted at William Arruda's Personal Branding Blog.

Light at the End of the Tunnel?

This is another post in a series of monthly advice in association with the Career Collective, a group of professionals who collaborate to provide guidance for job seekers and careerists. The questions this month are: What do you do when you're really, really, really discouraged about your unsuccessful job search? How do you overcome the negative aspects of job search?

A pessimistic view says the light at the end of the tunnel is probably an oncoming train. I think there’s something to that, especially when you consider job search. Let’s face it, with a real unemployment rate between 16 – 18%, as of the start of February 2010, the likelihood is that looking for a job will take a very long time. Indeed, as the deterioration of the economy has unfolded, since late 2007, the average lengths of job searches have increased dramatically. Today, it is not uncommon to see folks take 12 to 18 months to find new jobs.

This is clearly discouraging! Yet, when you ask these folks why it took so long, many will frankly own up to their over reliance on traditional job search approaches; namely resumes, cover letters, and job boards.  While the occasional job seeker may find a job the “old-fashioned” way, by applying for it, the majority achieved success when they stepped up their efforts to network. So, the lesson seems to be to make networking a key part of your overall search strategy. Well, make that effective networking. Frankly, pushing resumes and asking for job leads is common, but not the best way to network. It keeps you in the tunnel, wondering about the oncoming light, and becoming increasingly fearful.

So, what to do?

In a recent, Reach Interview, Pam Slim, author of Escape From Cubicle Nation: From Corporate Prisoner to Thriving Entrepreneur, made the point that even if you’re planning to continue working in an organization, it’s critical to develop the mindset and skills of an entrepreneur. Essentially, running your career is like running a business, and requires taking a much more strategic view. As well, it means taking the time to figure out how your offering fits the needs of your target audience, understanding how you are differentiated from your competitors, and determining how best to communicate your value. 

Conceptually, it makes sense. Yet, it doesn’t mean you won’t face fear and uncertainty as you proceed. It’s a journey and it requires support, which brings up probably the next best part of Pam’s advice: start hanging out with “your people.” Use your networking efforts to find and connect with people who know the space you’re attempting to move into, including customers/employers and competitors. Take a genuine interest in these folks. Be prepared to listen and learn, as well as to help and share. Over time, three important things can happen: (1) you form a developmental network that supports your forward progress; (2) you gain visibility and credibility among people who you need to know and who need to know about you; (3) you set the stage for connecting with relevant opportunities for productive work.

Clearly, this is not your Father’s job search; but then, this is not your Father’s economy. It's time to get out of the narrow confines and dispiriting mechanics of traditional job search. Getting out of the tunnel probably means taking the mountain path. But you don’t need to worry about the oncoming light, and you get a better look at the horizon!

Read other great advice posted by Career Collective members.

Wherever. Whatever.

For years, it’s been said that the only constant is change, an idea that goes way back to Greek philosopher Heraclitus. And while it may be true that change is always with us, there is a truer idea that has even more relevance to our lives and careers: “No matter where you go, there you are.”

The title of a mediation book by Jon Kabat-Zinn, and variously used and attributed as a quote, this idea came to mind, today, as I watched this great video, by William Arruda  at personalbranding.TV.

Why Personal Branding? from William Arruda on Vimeo.

Sure, the opening seconds highlight the profound changes that are affecting our lives and careers. Yet, as you watch, it becomes clear that you can take control of your future by taking responsibility for your personal brand. You can extract, express, and exude the unique value that you bring to your brand community, and that sets you apart from the competition. By attaining this kind of personal clarity, you are better positioned to weather change and move forward in your career. Wherever you are and whatever is happening around you.

Cross-posted at William Arruda's Personal Branding Blog