Book Release!

Today, I became a published author! And I'm feeling rather elated at this.

I've set up a designated blog relating to the book, entitled Right Your Resume, where you will find information about the book and soon to be released bonus content.

The book is current available on the Kindle store, and the paperback and other e-book formats are coming soon.

Stop with the Excuses!

Sorry, need to vent again, to get it out of my system...

I've seen a number of jobseekers in a couple of different jobsearch groups all post to the group wall the last couple of weeks that they are looking for work, or are in need of advice, only to then slam down the suggestions given as 'already done it', 'no, I don't want to get that type of work'. Or worse, they then give excuse after excuse as counter argument to every idea and suggestion people trying to help them give.

Etiquette, jobseekers! 

If you ask for help, accept it.  If you can't do that idea or suggest for a LEGITIMATE reason, then simply say, 'Thank you. I'll look into that' and then just hope that you get a few more suggestions from some other nice, helpful people. 

But if you don't have a legitimate reason, stop with the excuses!

"Can't... I have kids." Yeah, so do a lot of the other mothers who are looking for work.

"Don't want that type of job" - why not?  Didn't you just say you are desperate and will do anything? If you are that hard up financially, then guess what?  Doing that type of work, although not appealing - and if you can get it - will help you pay the bills until you find something better.  If you are desperate, then you can't afford to be picky and choosy.

If you ask for help or ideas, don't shut people down, don't dismiss them - not for the weak reason that you don't want to do that.  There are LOTS of things about job searching that we don't want to do - but those are often (well, from what I see, anyway) the very things that actually help you get a job. Don't bury your head in the sand, or dismiss good ideas because you don't want to; or you'll soon find people aren't going to want to help you. They'll keep their good ideas to themselves next time!

The Marketing and Sales of Jobsearch

I've been working on creating some rather time consuming non-article stuff for my business lately, and was watching a couple of videos earlier today on how to create better looking PowerPoint presentations over at www.m62.net when a small section of their "Why Present" video - aimed at salespeople to deliver better public presentations - I watched got me thinking: some of this translates as really good advice for jobseekers!

In one of the other video's I watched earlier it discussed that businesses and salespeople need to understand the difference between 'Marketing' and 'Sales' presentations, and as the presenter gave his explanation, I first connected the difference being the same within the job searching process thinking: 'The application phase of jobsearch is the equivalent to marketing, and job interviews are the equivalent of sales opportunities" - where the purpose of marketing is to find potential customers, and the purpose of sales is to generate a purchase transaction. Umm, the purpose of jobseeking is to find potential employers and then generate their interest in hiring you for their vacancy, right?

The particular section of interest within the video "Why Present" (which you can view here) discussed that all businesses, no matter what their 'wares', compete in the marketplace on a possible three things: price, service and or value. And once again, I started thinking: the same is true for jobseekers.

How is that true, you ask?

Price 

Although there are many positions in which the employer determines what rate they pay to position holders, there also exist employers and jobs that negotiate the starting rate or salary with the candidate too during the job interview or at the job offer. Of course, it depends on the type of job and industry you seek work in whether the employers pay fixed rates or are based on negotiated amount, but this is one of the things you should research when you look at applying for the type of work you want to do.

You could compete on price (accepting slightly less in order to snag the position away from a competitor wanting higher, or go for premium because 'they won't get any better than me! And I deserve to be paid more for my expertise').  The Employment Services industry had both fixed rate positions and negotiable ones depending on whether the company was not-for-profit or private enterprise.


Service
When businesses go into business the ultimate service they provide to consumers (whether that is business to business or business to consumer) is the particular products or services they deliver. To be successful in their business operations, the business has to possess the right skills, knowledge, experience, abilities and licenses etc to be allowed to and capable of attracting customers to earn the income and achieve the desired profits. And, the more capable the business is of delivering to its customers what they need and want (building strong relationships and service expectations), the longer the business continues to trade and the higher the profits the business gains.

Again, I see that there is little difference between a business and a jobseeker, where the individual needs to possess the right core skills, knowledge, experience, abilities, qualifications, licenses etc to be allowed to and capable of doing specific tasks at a competent level, thus enabling the business to earn the income and achieve the desired profits. But, an individual also needs to be a 'good fit' within the business to make the employment relationship last.

Value
Businesses that strive to beat their competition succeed in doing so when they focus on providing value to their customers.  That is, it is the additional factors that separate them from their competition that they willingly 'give' to their customers to encourage those customers to purchase more, remain highly satisfied with the business, product and transactions and or to return to the business in the future so that their business reputation and standing continues to grow.


Jobseekers don't always realise it, but looking for work / gaining a job is essentially always been about how they provide value.  Those that take the time to think about the additional skills, knowledge, experience, abilities, and attributes etc and demonstrate them to their prospects usually gain work quickly, because they inadvertently demonstrate their value just in the act of striving to beat their competitors.

Value Proposition

Back to the "Why Present" video, the message the company was imparting was Marketers need to present a clear message to their target audience with a value proposition: a "What's in it for them? and How will they benefit?"  For every feature the product or service has, good marketers must demonstrate how those features will benefit the prospective purchaser to make their life easier, reduce time or costs; and provide the justifications to help move the prospect towards a sales opportunity. The marketers goal is to find the right customer, so a sales opportunity is gained and the sales presentation can then helps the customer to consider buying this particular companies product or service over that of their competitors.

During your jobsearch, you need to act and present like a Marketer. That means, your job applications need to present a clear message to the target employer with a value propositions: "What skills can you bring to the business? and How will that benefit the employer?".  Your goal is to find the right type of customer - that is, the type of business who will want and need the service you offer; so you can move the prospective employer / hiring manager towards a sales opportunity.

The job interview IS your sales opportunity.  This is where you switch from marketing to sales and provide justification to enable your prospect to make the purchase decision to choose you over your competitors.

According to m62.net, there are only 4 types of Justifications:
1. Testimonials
2. Process
3. Technical
4. Logical

Can we use them in jobsearching?  We sure can, and do!

Testimonials are where other people who have used a businesses products or services declare, either written or verbally, in statement of appreciation and or recommendation the character, conduct and or value of the product or service received. In job searching, we call such people our Referees and References.

Process is where the salesperson explains to the prospect how the product or service they offer delivers the value stated - the how and why they should believe it. In job searching, the answers we give to interview questions like 'give an example of a time when...' is us fulfilling the 'process' justification.

Technical uses intellectual property to deliver a benefit. As jobseekers, we can't copyright or patent our trade secrets - like KFC's 11 secret herbs and spices, or Dyson's cyclonic vacuum system - but we can demonstrate our proficiency is using technological tools such as computer programs or providing evidence of qualifications and licenses held.

Logical is proof provided from reasoned argument, and as jobseekers, we can think about our skills and abilities and discuss how these provide benefit to the prospective employer and use what we say to show credibility and suitability.

So before you send off your next job application, review your resume and cover letter and think like a Marketer:

Who is your audience?  Easy: the employer(s) for the specific type of work you are seeking to gain.
How do they currently think and do? What are those employers looking for in their ideal candidate?  What basic skills, knowledge, experiences etc will they want the person to possess?
What do you want them to think and do after seeing your resume and cover letter? You WANT them to invite you to an interview!  You WANT them to believe that you might be the right 'product' for them.  You WANT them to grant you a sales opportunity, so you can convince them to accept your brand.  So they need to ask you questions; they need to phone you and invite you to meet with them. So, knowing the answers to the first two questions, you need to carefully consider: what details do I need to include / exclude so that they will want to interview me?

Examine your resume and cover letter - right now!
Do you have the right information in your resume and cover letter?  If you were your audience and received your resume and cover letter, would you want to invite you to an interview?

No?  Make substantial changes.  If yes, are you really sure?  Have you been getting invitations to interviews?


When you get a job interview, this is the chance to pull out your best salesperson skills and sell your product: you, as their ideal employee.  Would you purchase a product from a salesperson who is late and isn't well presented?  Would you purchase a product from a salesperson who doesn't answer the questions very well, who doesn't instil you with confidence that they are trustworthy, likeable, will do a really good job.

Become a good marketer and salesperson, and you'll have gained a job before you know it!

If your resume is not up to the job of getting your prospect to give you a call, you know you need to make changes so that it does.  If you need help with that, then please feel free to contact me; I have a range of different products and services that will help you and suit your budget and love helping clients get better, faster results!
You can use the contact form over in the right sidebar or can find me on Facebook.

Jobsearch Application Tracker

Jobsearch Application Organiser / Tracker

Are you struggling to manage your jobsearch?  Do you need a spreadsheet so that you can keep yourself organised?


Well, I now have two spreadsheets available for purchase: a basic and a premium version.

But first, a little background story...

I first created a jobsearch application log spreadsheet for myself about five years ago when I was working in a role that took me over an hour to get to each way.  With the long work hours and then the additional travel time on top of that, I found myself feeling constantly tired and exhausted as well as missing spending time with my family. So, when I had been with the company for twelve months, I started looking for another job closer to home.

Actually, I became so tired at one point that I completely forgot about a job interview that I had been invited to attend - even though I was interested in the job - because the potential employer invited me a week and a half before they wanted me to attend, and I got so busy it slipped my mind. When I realised I had shockingly missed the interview, I couldn't believe it: my friends and employers are usually the first to say that one of my key strengths is  how well organised I am! And, in my job, on a daily basis, I streamlined procedures and created tailored Microsoft Word documents or Excel spreadsheets to increase mine and or the team's efficiency in relation to often repeated work tasks that consistently earned me good staff performance evaluations from management, workplace recognition awards and or small bonus gift payments. So how could I, Miss Organised, miss out on attending a job interview I wanted to go to!?!

After that embarrassing mistake, I was determined to never let an oversight caused by my fatigue ever occur again! And that weekend created a jobsearch application tracker for my own use in Microsoft Excel. Once it was up and running, I emailed to myself so that I could apply for jobs during my lunch hour at work and or on weekends in the comfort of my own home - so I would never miss out on what could have been the perfect, higher paying work that I like doing (more than the current role) only five minutes away from home like that missed interview role had been, and so I could enter in the information as I applied for the roles.

When I first started using it, I had just started with a single worksheet to track the applications I sent off.  But before long, I had created additional worksheets so that I could keep a record of other aspects to my job searching as the ideas and needs came to me.  These included a To Do list section (I always write and use one!), copies of job advertisements (so I could write a tailored cover letter without having to print out the job advertisement) and even record the expenses I incurred in relation to my looking for work. I used my jobsearch application tracker, and then once I gained my new job, I simply stopped using the file (though, in hindsight, I should have kept on using it - but more on that later).

Then, a month or so ago, a couple of jobseekers from the groups I participate in as well as a few of my resume clients all happened to mention to me at around the same time their struggles in staying organised within their job searching.  Naturally, being someone who easily just creates forms and spreadsheets whenever I need them, I suggested to each of them that they should just create a jobsearch applications tracker spreadsheet to help them manage themselves like I had once done.  But, my suggestion was met similar horrified exclaims of, 'I barely know how to enter details into an Excel spreadsheet, let alone know how I would go about creating one from scratch!"

And finally - yes, I was a little slow in making the mental connection - I realised that perhaps I should just recreate the spreadsheet I once used and offer it as yet another resource within my business. I have since spent the last couple of weeks creating, formatting and testing out the spreadsheet to get it to a point where I am happy with it.

So, today, I am finally releasing two versions of my Jobsearch Application Tracker - a basic version for those who aren't really good with computers which just contains the absolute essential worksheets so that they can track their submissions, create a to do list and manage their contacts, as well as a premium version for those who do know how to use a computer and or who want to manage as much as they possibly can related to their jobsearch, like expenses, weekly goals, interviews, online accounts and so much more on top of the basic version inclusions.

The Basic Version
The basic version has each of the worksheets you can see in this image: a 2014 and 2015 Calendar, where you will be able to record 'snapshot' information like interviews gained or appointments booked on the relevant day each month, a To Do list, and worksheets to track your job applications submitted and personal contacts.

The spreadsheet allows you to track where you have sent your resume off to, what phone calls you have made and lets you filter your entries so that you can plan your future jobsearch activities.

Filtering allows you to drill down your information so you can see what applications you need to send off, what you jobs and people you need to follow up with, and what applications have been finalised.  If you are in receipt of unemployment benefits, you can print out a record of your applications quickly and easily to demonstrate you are meeting your looking for work requirements.

Password protected, you can enter your personal information with the piece of mind that family and friends can't view your information if you don't want them to - and you can take store the tracker on a USB to use on any computer such as at your Job Network Provider without risk of your private and confidential information be accessed by unauthorised person's.


Price: USD $1.99
To purchase the basic version, simply click on this Buy Now button for instant download.




The Premium Version
The premium version, on the other hand, is a lot more powerful than the basic version.You not only get everything that is in the basic version, but you also get ten more useful worksheets.

Like the Basic version, you get worksheets that have a 2014 and 2015 Calendar and to help you manage your Goals and Jobsearch Achievements, there is a weekly Summary & Goals worksheet that you can print out.

In the purple sections, is a To Do list, Submissions, calls made and interviews trackers.

There is a Printables tab, which has two forms that you can print out (if you are with a Job Network Provider) to firstly carry the details of any interviews you have been invited to but not yet attended, so you know exactly where you need to go and who you need to ask for on arrival. The other form is the essential information that your provider will require when you gain a job.

In the pale orange section, you will find a few more worksheets - quick information about yourself that you often have to advise others, such as your Centrelink customer reference number, who your provider is and much more.  And then there are the Accounts worksheets, to help you manage the details of your online accounts usernames and passwords and worksheets to help you keep track of your contacts, your workplace achievements, job ads that you are working on, your income and expenses and a journal to record your jobsearch journey and or take notes for when you research the industry, employers and positions.

In short, the premium version allows you to track your submissions, calls, interviews, accounts, contacts, and expenses, and allows you to filter your results so you make the most out of your time spent towards job searching.

Ultimately, those that invest in the time to keep their jobsearch organised usually find that they are able to save time in the long run, as they can identify important events and tasks.

Price: USD$4.99
To purchase the premium version, you will need to click on this Buy Now button.



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Keywords: Job Application Tracker, Job Application Spreadsheet, Manage your Jobsearch, Excel spreadsheet

Protect Yourself from Scammers

Sadly, there are people who will go to extraordinary lengths to rob another person of their money and or identity.  These people don't care if you are 'down and out'.

After a spat of scammers posting false job opportunities within the groups that I participate in, this post contains three graphics to help you avoid becoming a target...

Unfortunately, advice that had to be shared :-(