Gilbert Gazette: Career Tips for these Trying Times
Dear Friends:
Well this has certainly been an interesting January and February.
The media is spewing doom and gloom, on Wall Street the sky
is falling, layoffs continue, and the unemployment rate is rising.
All that being said, you must be proactive in your career
endeavors. If you are gainfully employed, try to make yourself
invaluable...put in the extra effort and volunteer to assist others.
Learn new skills that can benefit your employer and expand
your knowledge base. If you are out of work, maximize your
ability to find a new position. Don't just post to job boards.
Answer specific ads, don't wait for companies to find you.
Newspapers are not dead...look at the help wanted ads. Send
your resumes to recruiters that specialize in your field and
please network, network, network - that is still the number one
way to find your next job.
This issue of the Gazette features timely articles and the
innovative Job-Search Tele-Summit, featuring renowned career
experts.
1. Job-Search Tele-Summit
2. Networking Purposefully
3. Demand for CFOs on the Rise
4. Alternative Job Search Methodologies
Job-Search Tele-Summit
The spring 2009 Jumpstart Your Job Search Tele-Summit is
a day-long educational and inspirational event created to give
job seekers all the tools, knowledge, and resources to create
an effective job-search plan, land interviews, and get job offers.
What makes this program so unique is that job seekers
"attend" simply by listening over their computers or telephones.
The summit covers all key phases of a job search from personal
branding and resume writing to social networking, interviewing,
salary negotiations, and tapping into the "hidden" job market.
The courses are taught by leaders and experts in the career-
services industry including top career book authors, interview
specialists, resume writers, career coaches, and recruiters.
The summit takes place on March 21st from 11:00 a.m. until
8:00 P.M. Eastern. All you need is a computer or a phone, and
you will have access to the latest, cutting-edge information on
how to stand out from the competition. And if you can't
make it to a course - don't worry. You will receive links to all
the recordings after the summit.
And you can be confident that you will receive a lot of
value from the summit. There is a 100%, no-questions-
asked, money-back guarantee if you feel otherwise.
For more information, visit:
http://www.kickstartcart.com/app/?af=945875
_____________________________________________
Networking Purposefully - Emphasize Connections
Over Job Vacancies and HR Opportunities
By Debra Feldman
The heart of Debra's approach is purposeful networking,
because it's not just what you know, but whom you know -
and who knows you - that truly matters.
Review your own pattern of advancement over the years,
and think about how you recruited people for your own
teams. Did you choose from a stack of résumés, or fill a
vital position with a person from a recruitment service? Or
did you call upon your own established connections,
relying on those trusted sources for recommendations?
You've probably helped friends and colleagues get where
they are today with similar tactics that thrive on strong,
qualified relationships. Debra creates life-changing
connections for you so when opportunity knocks, your
door swings wide open.
Debra starts you off with a comprehensive telephone
consultation, and performs a rigorous assessment to
determine how best to position you, how to most clearly
state the unique value you provide, and how to create a
campaign strategy that uses your values and your
positioning to their best advantage.
Once you've worked with Debra to identify companies
you want to target, Debra uses her expertise, her databases,
and her own network to identify the people who need to
know about you. Then she breaks the ice for you by
making the phone calls, sending correspondence, and
getting you connected. She doesn't rest until those key
contacts are primed to talk to you. And with a success
rate of over 95% on targeted contacts, you know your
mission is being executed with brilliant results.
With the focus firmly set on pitching your singular
abilities and making choice connections - NOT thrusting
you into pre-fab positions - Debra orchestrates the
introductions, so that you can concentrate on building
your network. These contacts provide opportunities to
generously share resources, ideas, and insights. This
is how you get yourself on the inside track for
unadvertised job leads - for your next job, and every job
thereafter.
______________________________________________________
Amid Recession Demand for Skilled CFOs on the Rise
Chief Financial Officers and senior-level executive CPAs
now say the U.S. economic downturn will last longer than
previously expected. According to a new survey of 1,183
CPAs who hold leadership positions as chief executives,
COOs, and CFOs conducted by the American Institute of
Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the University
of North Carolina's Kenan-Flagler Business School, the
majority of those polled expect no turnaround in the
economy before 2010 - six months longer than previously
estimated. "As the recession has deepened and pessimism
solidified, a majority of CPAs working in business and
industry now don't expect an economic recovery before
2010," said Arleen Thomas, AICPA's SVP for Member
Competency and Development.
The AICPA/UNC study did offer one glimmer of hope:
about 25% of companies still expect some growth in the
next 12 months. But as the majority of executives brace
for continued turmoil, CFOs are facing increasing pressure
to make the best of a bad situation, according to CFO.com.
CEOs are increasingly leaning on their Finance Chiefs to
better understand their companies' liquidity position and
come up with a strategy for the months ahead. The
question is: do they have what it takes?
CFOs Face Unprecedented Circumstances
A growing number of CFOs will find themselves running
the finance function of an insolvent business as the downturn
continues to take its toll, according to CFO.com. The
report states that Euler Hermes, a credit insurance company,
predicts the number of insolvencies worldwide will rise by
25% this year following a similar increase in 2008. Moreover,
in Western Europe the firm predicts a 34% rise this year
following a 25% jump in 2008. In France and Germany,
Euler Hermes forecasts a rise in insolvencies of around 12%.
The Netherlands could also see a surge of 38%.
A recent Deloitte paper argues that the combination of the
worldwide credit crunch and a recession with possible deflation
creates a unique and unprecedented set of circumstances for
CFOs. Deloitte concludes CFOs will have to navigate two
distinct challenges: they must manage their short-term credit,
cash and performance needs - despite receding pricing power
and they must efficiently position and utilize assets with an eye
toward post-recession growth. Ajit Kambil, Global Director of
Deloitte Research, says "The challenge for CFOs will be to read
the signals and discern the shape and structure of the recovery."
Skills of the Ideal CFO
Though a daunting prospect for most Finance Chiefs, CFO.com
says the "burgeoning corporate rescue culture means that there
is greater scope for effecting a turnaround than in the past." So
what does it take for CFOs to hold it together even as their
companies are falling apart? CFO.com says the basic
skills needed from Finance Execs during administration are the
same everywhere.
The report states that insolvency practitioners and restructuring
experts list the following three skills which characterize their
ideal CFO:
1. A perfect grasp of up-to-date figures. Particularly if there's
been a high turnover in the executive team, the challenge to
stay on top of the numbers for new CFOs much harder. At a
minimum, however, up-to-date numbers give CFOs a better
chance of mapping out a contingency plan.
2. The ability to plan for every eventuality. Administrators
say a "plan-for-the-worst" approach say makes the difference
between a good CFO and an excellent one in distressed
situations.
3. A strong enough voice to ensure that when you speak,
your board listens. CFO.com quotes Alan Hudson, a Partner
at Ernst & Young, as saying that CFOs should stick to the
facts, however painful they might be for members of the
board to hear, and the sooner they are made known, the
better. "It's no good after the event saying, 'I always knew
we were destined to fail,'" says Hudson.
Another key area of focus for CFOs concerns reporting
practices. Finance Chiefs must provide the right information at
the right time. CFO.com quotes Neil Griffiths, a Partner in the
restructuring team at law firm Denton Wilde Sapte, as saying,
"If you're in distress you want daily [rather than monthly or
quarterly] information coming through so you can see how
close to the edge you are. The CFO becomes absolutely critical
in all of that."
CFO.com adds that if a CFO can manage to demonstrate these
key skills during troubled times, there is a good chance there
will be a job awaiting them at companies that survive. The report
states, "A Finance Chief who can confidently and quickly
provide full visibility on deteriorating cash positions, identify
where the company is being squeezed and articulate what to do
about it is more impressive to an administrator than one whose
leadership flourishes in good times, but withers in bad times."
Looking Ahead…
Much has been written about the fact that greater CFO
accountability is contributing to a high rate of turnover. Recent
KPMG research suggests that CFOs are, in fact, moving on to
new opportunities for which their particular talents are
best-suited.
Indeed they are. Executive search firm, A.E. Feldman, reports
that CFO jobs are opening up as a growing number of companies
are now looking for finance chiefs with treasury and capital-
markets skills. The firm adds that Finance Chiefs who understand
and can manage enterprise-wide risk, who can get funding for
growth opportunities, who know the debt markets and who are
strong on valuing assets are in demand. Flexibility and the ability
to adapt to the dynamics of the market as the crisis unfolds are
also critical.
_______________________________________________
Alternative Job Search Methodologies, Netshare
Have you been exploring alternatives to traditional job search
methods? If you have, congratulations! You are on your way to
greatly increasing your results and response rates!
I believe you will find this does wonders not only for reaching
your job search goals, but also in keeping up your excitement
and confidence in the process.
Developing the right list of target companies for you is so
important because, done right, it's going to save you a
tremendous amount of time, increase your interviews and save
you from the frustration of doing it wrong, which can
create an illusion that the reason you are not getting enough
quality interviews is because there is something wrong with
you or your resume.
So here are 5 tips on how you can get started developing your
own amazing list of target companies today:
Tip #1: Focus - Example A
Let's say for example you want to stay in the state of Georgia
and you would like to remain in the field of Academia. Your
challenge is to find the institutions potentially suited for you in
your state. You need to identify where these lists of institutions
are AND you need to track where the movement or growth is
with these individual institutions. Your best bet is to check out
your trade and association journals for these lists and late
breaking news like campus growth, appropriated funds, and
promotions etc… anything that might indicate growth or
development and a great reason for you to connect. Start
by Googling Academia+Georgia or Associations+Higher
Education+Georgia.
Tip#2: Focus Example B
Perhaps you are in sales and marketing of consumer goods
and you want to move into a senior sales role for the "green"
market. You are open to relocating anywhere in the US. In
order to not spread yourself too thin, you must come up
with a nice handful of portals you can use to find emerging
or developed companies that specialize in your "green"
market of choice. Begin by Googling Green jobs+products.
Interested in wind farms or solar? Google green jobs+wind
farms and wind farms+USA. You can also try Googling
wind energy+investors. These are just a few examples. Not
only will you find companies and contact decision maker
names this way, but you will also find articles and
information on companies that are growing and developing
new products and services. Any and all companies that you
like should make your list!
To supplement this information I also highly recommend
using Manta.com. Manta provides free company profiles and
company information on US and International companies,
including market research reports, business news, contact
information and key contact names.
Tip #3: Create an Abundant List
The general rule of thumb is: the smaller your geographic
parameters are, the more you really need to dig to add anyone
and everyone that meets your career focus parameters to your
list. If your list is too small, you minimize your responses. Try
to begin with 30 to 50 companies, ideally.
Conversely, you may develop over 150 potential company
picks in your industryof choice. If this is you, then consider
sending your mailings out in phases or hiring a printer (I like
Insty Prints) to help you with your mailings.
There is another industry school of thought that touts
concentrating on just a few companies at a time. If you are
not in a hurry and are willing to invest in learning about, and
networking with, key decision makers in each of these
companies then I would agree this method is also effective.
Tip#4: Get To the Decision Maker
Sending all of your correspondence to the human resource
department will get you far less valuable connections and
interviews - primarily because unless HR has been handed a
job description that closely matches your qualifications at the
exact time you send them your resume, they are probably not
going to be interested in you.
So, don't gamble your confidence away! Though rarely you
might hit the jackpot, these just aren't very good odds. Get to
the decision maker… the person two to four levels above
your ideal position that is going to be interested to hear about
your successes in productivity, profitability and problem s
olving. No offense to my human resource friends that serve
a valuable and honorable function.
Tip #5: Follow Up
You have to be prepared to follow up with a phone call once
you have sent out your correspondence. I know, you are
thinking, "but it is so uncomfortable to follow up with
someone I don't know and ask them for a job!" Good news!
You don't have to (and shouldn't) come right out and ask
them for a job.
As a professional, one of the things you must do in your job
is learning the basics of networking. We ALL have to do it, so
let's discuss for a moment the value of learning how to
network in a way that is comfortable and breeds confidence.
Here is a technique that I use: when I network, I think about
it in a way that does not put undue pressure on myself or the
immediate outcome.In other words, when you follow up, don't
set yourself up by rationalizing that the only acceptable
outcome is a job interview. Here is your realistic goal: to
make an introduction, either personally or via voice mail that
you feel good about. That's it. When you go on a first date
do you berate yourself that no one got married at the end of it?
Of course not! So just take a deep breath and give the situation
a chance to materialize into something positive.
Okay, so here is how to leave a nice message you can feel
good about. Try something like this: "Hi this is ____, perhaps
my name sounds familiar - I sent you some correspondence
last week and indicated I would be following up with you. Its
Wednesday, 10am and I will be in the office all day. Please
feel free to call me back at ____ and I look forward to hearing
from you. Thank you." This is a nice general introduction.
Not to short and not too long.
If you connect with your contact live, this is even better! Say
hello, inform him or her why you are calling and then share
what you specialize in. Perhaps you increased revenue in your
division by 57% last year, or you are a turnaround expert or
you just lead your corporation through a very successful
merger. Whatever your latest and greatest achievement is,
this is what you lead with.
State your achievement in just a sentence or two and then say
that you greatly admire their company and for these reasons
you wanted to introduce yourself and find out if he/she might
have an interest in learning more. This structure concentrates
on your quantifiable achievements, is short and is flattering -
a recipe for success!
Using these simple tips will put your job search focus in order
and allow for a smooth transition from one objective to the other
so in no time at all you will have garnered positive results from.
________________________________________________
GILBERT GAZETTE
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Sincerely,
Marty Weitzman,NCRW, CPRW, RPBC, JCTC
Gilbert Resumes
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