When you get laid off

Chris Brogran recently wrote about getting laid off. It is in his newsletter so you have to scroll down.

He says two things that I thought were helpful:

Accept that your layoff has to do with the economy..not you.
Accept that you are still valuable and no less useful than you were last week.

(I'm paraphrasing..sorry Chris)

Short term questions he asks you to think about include: what skills do you have that people would pay for and who do you know who might have job leads?

Long term questions
What is your pie in the sky dream for your future? Can you get there with your current skills ( and if not, what is one step you can take towards that dream?)
Who is doing what I want to do? Can they give me a start? ( or what advice would they offer me)

Chris is heavy into social media..so if you read him, beware they he will suggest Twitter, Facebook and blogs. Don't get discouraged if you are not using those tools. His questions are worth thinking about.

Notice how often he suggests connecting and networking with others.  Most job leads are found through connections.  What can you do to make the most of your current network? What can you do to expand your network?

And finally, what do you need to do to take care of yourself.  Job searching is tough, emotionally draining work....remember to be kind to yourself.

Ever thought of going into business for yourself?

This tip comes from a SE region networking meeting ( I can't remember who shared it! Sorry!)

The WI Women's Business Initiative provides loans to start up a small business.  In looking at their website, I was impressed by how much training and assistance they provide in addition to micro loans.

It looks like the educational programs are in central and south Wisconsin...but they have quite a few resources on line as well. 

If you have ever though about running your own business this looks like a compreheniive resource to help you assess your skills, develop a business plan and provides loans.

Interview Tips

Harvard Business School has a Management Tip of the Day blog and today's tips are related to interviewing.

Their three top tips are:

Research: There is no excuse not to spend time researching the organization online before your interview. This will help you both answer questions and come with questions of your own.  I have printed pages from websites to take with me to interviews so I can refer to what I saw on line.

Show interest: not just in the position and the organization but in the interviewer(s).  I almost always ask the interviewer what they like about working at the organization as well as what they find challenging.

Listen: in other words...don't talk the whole time. What the interviewer says can help you both answer questions and decide if you want to work there.

One more tip from me: come with questions( not about salary and benfits..leave those for after you have an offer) questions like: What is the most important thing this position needs to accomplish in the next year?  And the question I almost always end with is "Do you have any concerns about my ability to do this job?"

The most under-utlized job search strategy

Informational interviewing is one of the best job search strategies and yet, very few people use it.

Here is how it works. You decide who would be helpful to interview.  Someone who:
-is in a field you want to work in
-is in a job you might like to have
-works for an organization you are interested in working for
-has some kind of experience that you are interest in

You call or email and ask to meet for coffee( or tea, or lunch)

Introduce yourself:  Hello ______, my name is Julie Swanson

Describe your connection or how you got their name:  I got your name from ____ ( a mutual friend), we met at a conference, I saw you present, I did an alumni search at ______college where we both went, etc.

Ask for a meeting: I'm going to be making a career transition soon, due to budget cuts, and I have always been interested in working in __________. I was wondering if you might have time to meet for coffee so I could ask you some questions about your job: how you got it, what it's like, any advice you would have for someone interested in that kind of work.

Three reasons informational interviewing is effective.
1. People like to give advice.Most people are honored to be asked to informational interview and genuinely enjoy talking about their work and helping someone out.

2. Most people want to hire someone they know or someone who is recommended by someone they know.  So the more people you network with, the more likely you get referred to a job. Informational interviewing is a way to grow your network directly related to the kind of work you want.

3. You can get great tips about: how to present the skills you have, experience you need to get and how to get it, who else you should talk...etc.

How do you want to be remembered?

I just read " Quitting with Style" from Harvard Business blog. When you quit, it is a decision you have made.  Many people in tobacco control are  (or may) be laid off.  Leaving is not a decision they made...but can you still leave with style?  Here are some thoughts:

1. Take control of what you can.  Do you have a clear understanding of your benefits?  Vacation, sick leave, health care? If not, who do you need to meet with? What is your job search plan?

2. Leave your office and program in the best shape you can.  As you clean up your desk and computer, think about who could use what you have created, how can you pass it on? If information is going to left in your office, how can you organize it so others can find it. Are there things that can and should be thrown away...toss or recycle so no one else has to try to figure it out when you are gone. Create a transition or program closure plan. Share it so your co-workers and supervisors know what to expect.

3.  Leave yourself in the best shape you can
What do you want to take with you? Here are a few ideas:

• Examples of work accomplished for a professional portfolio. 
• Examples of praise, thank yous, quotes from colleagues and people served.
• Your rmost current job description and copies of all performance appraisals.
• A list of references and their current contact information.

4. Stay connected.  Who knows what will happen in the future?  You don't know who you will work with or who might supervise you ( or who you might supervise.)  Think about who you'd like to stay connected with and how to do it.  What about planning a few lunch dates or coffee's before you go?

5. Be intentional about closure. Do you want to have a farewell party so you can say good bye to colleagues?  Sometimes co-workers plan this but there is no reason you can't initiate it.  Do you want to post a message on tobacco talk?  Who do you want to say thank you to and how?

Bottom Line: How do you want to be remembered? People remember last impressions almost as clearly as they do first ones.  Make sure the last impression of you is what you want it to be.

Photo Credit: Flickr: muehlinghaus

Responsibility vs Accomplishment

I know. I'm awesome.
Originally uploaded by Big C Harvey

When you are writing your resume you can list your responsibilities...or you can describe you accomplishments.

For example

Responsibilty
Establish and recruit partnerships

Accomplishment
Identified and recruited ___new partners each year

Responsibility
Implement effective fundraising plan

Accomplishment
Implemented a fundraising plan that resulted in _____

Wrote ____successful grant applications

Met or exceeded fundraising goals for the past 4 years

Two ways to show communication skills

Almost every job I have ever applied for has wanted someone with
Excellent Communication Skills. The trouble is, how do you show communication skills in a cover letter or on a resume?

Here are two ideas

Highlight accomplishments that demonstrate your communication skills

-Created and implemented a conflict management training ( or process)
-Facilitated a coalition through the strategic planning process including developing a mission, vision and work plan.
-Led a work group that crafted our coalitions' communication plan.

The idea is to show potential employees what you have done with your communication skills.

Another idea is to use the credibility of quotes( which is basically testimony). So for instance, in a cover letter, I might say

My supervisors consistently rate my communication skills as excellent.

" Julie has established excellent working relationships with staff and partners"
(Supervisor at the Cancer Information Service)

Look for quotes in your performance appraisals, in evaluations, partner or coalition member surveys, and in your praise folders.  If you are not getting good quotes, consider changing how you ask your questions or at least adding one question that asks for quotes.