Advice on how to reduce vulnerability to negative emotions

It is so easy for an endless array of negative emotions to make you feel vulnernable in your job search. Are you experiencing more negativity in your job search right now? I have been reading two books written by Marsha Linehan, Ph D, University of Washington. She has sound advice to stay out of "an emotion mind," rather than a reasoned mind. In this context, we will apply her advice to a (negative) job search:
Dr. Linehan's acronym is simple to remember: PLEASE MASTER.

Physical (PL)= treat any physical ailments or maladies as best you can while you are job searching.

-eat (E) a balanced diet. Resist the temptation to consume a lot of salt, sugar and processed foods.

-avoid mood altering (MA) substances such as nicotine, drugs and alcohol, if at all possible.

-balance your sleep (S) with your day. Rest is vital, especially with an activity that robs your energy like a job search.
-get exercise (E) -at least 20 minutes of cardio a day
-build MASTERy. (sic) Do one thing T)  daily to make yourself feel competent and in control. This mastery will build your confidence.

Go build your own success!
Melissa Martin, bilingual career and social media specialist and ebook author, How to use social media in your job search
http://www.careercoachingbyphone.com/

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Tips on how to stay engaged and motivated in your job search

2010 is drawing to a close. Contrary to popular belief, this is a SMART time of the year to be on the job hunt. Just as there's less traffic on the road because of the holidays, so is there less competition amongst job seekers. It is wise to nurture contacts and make new ones for the upcoming year, if you haven't already done so.

Some quick tips on how to stay engaged and motivated in your job search:

-celebrate the small steps you have taken in your job search. For example, if you have decided to push the computer chair away and do fewer online job applications, bully for you! Online job postings only yield a 1-3% success rate.

-celebrate small victories. For instance, if you have been called for an interview for the first time in a month, that's one more interview invitation than you had last month. Small victories can lead to big victories in the long run. Track your results. The electronic job tracker, http://www.jibberjobber.com/ is a good start to do just that.

-arrange some informational interviews. Sometimes the most informal meetings give you rich results. And the more informational interviews you have with prospects, the more likely you will feel a sense of hope and energy, two things you really need in a stalled job search.

-while unemployment is high,  focus on what is within your control. You cannot control the number of hires an employer makes, but you can control the number of contacts that you have made in your job search.

Fortune favours the bold, Virgil, ancient Roman writer
Melissa Martin, bilingual career and social media specialist and ebook author, How to use social media in your job search
http://www.careercoachingbyphone.com/

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Tips to overcome shyness and anxiety BEFORE your next interview

Hi job seekers,
Once again, I've found some simple tips for job interview preparation. These tips are particularly relevant to those who are shy, experience social anxiety or have performance anxiety. My source comes from mental health specialists. The information is invaluable for all job seekers:

1. Apply for a volunteer position. Research demonstrates that you will boost your mood and self-esteem by simply giving back to the community or making a difference to a social organization that aligns with your values. Even if you are under stringent conditions, such as conducting an "active" job search to prove to employment insurance representatives, a few hours a week in volunteerism will pay dividends. The potential rewards are meeting new contacts, penetrating the hidden job market and honing your skills. You could even learn new skills to bring to a new job.

2. Practise interviewing with friends and family. The more familiar you are with the format of an interview which is often uncomfortable and sometimes an artificial experience, the more you will improve your job interview performance.

3. Apply for jobs that disinterest you.....temporarily!
By taking this approach, you can get familiar with hiring criteria, such as keywords, and test the waters about your existing skills and qualifications. If you do have at least 50% of the job criteria, review your job targets and preferences, such as potential employers and positions, to find a good match. Apply for at least one job that disinterests you, regardless of whether you receive a response. The experience will be worthwhile.

4. Apply for jobs that interest you. See the previous point, and aim to have at least 75% of the job criteria. Keep in mind that job ads are often an employer's wish list. The employer is not always successful in getting the "perfectly qualified" or quintessential candidate.

Make your own fortune!
Melissa Martin, bilingual career and social media specialist
Ebook author of How to use social media in your job search
http://www.careercoachingbyphone.com/

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Negotiating-a life skill, especially during interviews

I have been fortunate to share my passions-teaching and counselling. A few years back, I taught a human resources course at a military base. One of the topics was negotiation. We use negotiation daily in our lives to achieve our goals and objectives. Negotiation is particularly important during a job interview.

Here are 3 stages in negotiating (and it doesn't stop with job interviews):

1. Establish criteria so that the employer and you, the job candidate, understand each other's points of view and how far the negotiating card stretches. Is it 4 weeks of vacation? Company shares? Flex time? Opportunities to work at home? Earn a pay raise after a successful 6 month probationary period?

2. Get information about the employer's side of things; you can never know too much. Find out just how much the company is really willing to negotiate. Remember, you are negotiating the chance to be hired, based on your USP's (unique selling points). Demonstrate value to the employer. Use your contacts-perhaps an insider from the company about previous hires or hiring practices. Get acquainted with the hiring criteria and EXCEED their hiring expectations by offering your talents and qualifications.

3. Reach for some sort of compromise; try to meet the employer on some common ground. It will ultimately lead to a WIN-WIN situation.  For example, you could produce a bargaining chip like," If you hire me as your successful candidate, in 3 months, I will produce......"

Above all, negotiating is a TWO way affair.

Still uncomfortable about negotiating?
Rate yourself on the following qualities you currently possess and then aim to improve at least one or two of them:
a. Understanding the "two-way street" aspect of negotiating
b. Desire to acquire negotiating skills
c. Knowing the principles and gambits of effective negotiating
d. Willingness to practise
e. Desire to create a Win-Win situations.

Need help with negotiating your next job offer? Call me at 1-877-621-3141
Melissa Martin, bilingual career coach/social media specialist and ebook author, How to use social media in your job search
http://www.careercoachingbyphone.com/

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Guest on Australian career internet radio: P.L.A.N. your next career change

P.L.A.N” YOUR NEXT CAREER CHANGE:


Join Annemarie Cross and Keith Keller as they interview a number of career specialists, including Maggie Mistal and Melissa Martin on key strategies that can support you in your career change.(download mp3)


Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Keith will also share his 4-step career change process: The “P.L.A.N”

 http://bit.ly/agi7mP

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Interview with Tony Deblauwe, www.workbabble.com 7 Q about social media

Tony Deblauwe, Founder, HR4Change held a virtual interview with me today on using social media.

I am sharing the 7 questions with you:

1. You talk about the power of using contacts – what do you mean by that?

Leveraging contacts is quintessential in the job search. In my ebook, I emphasize the power of "weak ties" which often form the basis of the best source of contacts and ultimately job leads. Contacts are necessary online and offline for a successful job search; they are the key to getting the "inside" track about company and employment information. The more contacts we have, the closer we tap into that sometimes elusive hidden job market, which is typically 70-85% in normal, economic times, and up to 90% in these troubled times.

Despite the allure of social media and the temptation to confine a job search to an exclusively electronic means, contacts represent human communication and relationship building (to quote a skill I saw listed in a job listing for a bank today). Regardless of whether the contact orginated online, inevitably, it will turn into an offline, face-to-face contact. People hire other people, not computers!

2. What’s the best method for identifying corporate “insiders”? The best method is to "think like a robber and go through the back door" by doing some real sleuthing. First and foremost, is the opportunity to elicit and solicit human contact. If that isn't possible, tap into web sites which can provide vital information for you, such as linkedin.com, jigsaw.com (the free company data download is a goldmine), and hoovers.com and zoominfo.com for company insider information.

3. How can someone address “social media fatigue” when building their online brand?

Primarily, social media does not guarantee immediate employment. It is neither a panacea nor a "cure" to replace human relationship building. Just as many career coaches and professionals caution job seekers about excessively searching online, the same applies to social networking. "Social media" fatigue can occur easily because of false expectations about what social media does. It is a viable job search tool, not a remedy or instant care for abandoning other successfuly job search techniques, such as cold calling, prospecting for job opportunities and using the telephone (gasp!) to gather leads.

Fatigue can also occur because social media is something of a sensation in job searching at the moment. Mark my words, another trend will appear! Lastly, fatigue can occur if someone uses social media to a saturation point. All the more reason to set up "Google alerts" to see what is being communicated about you or to calculate your online identity (scoped out by hiring managers and recruiters).

In the book, I allude to how one establish a health online identity, as opposed to a negative one, which is difficult to erase from cyberspace and from potential employers' memories!

4. What alternatives do people have to building their online brand without using a blog, Facebook or Twitter?

Visual alternatives are important more than ever. Audio bites, once a swansong in branding, have been eclipsed by videos. Consumers are hungry for visual information, confirming why YouTube's popularity is off the radar screen. A Canadian TV channel reported this morning that Scottish singing sensation Susan Boyle received 120,00,00 views on YouTube this year!

Another alternative are visual resume sites (I have a comprehensive list of the major and minor players), PURL's, which are personal URL's that job seekers can create to be noticed by employers. and virtual business cards (mine is http://melissamartin.businesscard2.com

5. How is YouTube used for job search?

YouTube has multiple roles in a job search:

a. watch what recruiters and hiring managers are looking for in job candidates

b. insider information on preparing for interviews, preparing a personal brand and accessing outstanding, innovative job search information

c. learning ideas about how other people got hired or promoted

d. creating a personal brand to entice potential employers

e. creating videos to establish online credibility and prove expertise

f. creating videos to demonstrate to employers that you are technologically savvy and current

6. What key trends do you emerging with social media and personal branding?

Recruiting trends. Linkedin.com, for example, contains articles about this trend. Social media is being embraced by decision makers and hiring managers because advertising revenues (particularly daily newspapers) are eroding at an alarming rate.

Growth in accessing job search information on IPhones, cell phones and blackberries.

Personal branding has alway been visible in North America since the 19th century in one shape or form. Numerous companies have used personal branding to sell their products and services. (On the front page of my web site, there's an audio clip on how one major American donut chain has something in common with conducting a successful job search. And yes, it involves personal branding).

I also see the emergence of personal branding in the academic world.

In North America, we accept instant gratification to rule our society. Positive personal branding solidifies and quantifies a job seeker's profile. It "clinches" the sale of a job candidate, in a current economy where 1 out of 5 Americans are jobless. (Today I learned a new term called "Q6" to reflect the collective number of everyone who is truly unemployed, not merely the government unemployment statistics we receive regularly).

7. Where can people learn more about you and purchase your ebook?

Please visit my web site at www.careercoachingbyphone.com or follow me on twitter.com/ravingredhead (Well, being a real redhead is a personal brand of sorts!) My ebook offers essential insight for job seekers on how to leverage social media in a job search, tap into the hidden job market and learn some proven success strategies).

Facebook: melissacynthiamartin
Facebook fan page: careercoachingbyphone.com
I am also an approved job search expert on www.careerealism.com
To get hired faster, visit me on www.careercoachingbyphone.com


Catch me LIVE in January at the Cannexus conference, http://www.cannexus.ca/

Melissa Martin, Bilingual career coach/social media specialist
Now available! Melissa's new ebook, How to job search using social media

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