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Greetings!
Welcome to Between the Trapezes! Often the changes in
our lives feel precarious as we are suspended between two certainties. But
the frightening moment passes as we bravely go on to the next step -- as we
always do.
Enjoy reading, and feel free to forward this e-zine on to
anyone, wherever they are job searching! And if you received this e-mail in
error, our apologies -- just unsubscribe using the easy link at the bottom
of this page.
Joanne
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Gather Ye Recommendations While Ye May
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Last week, a friend of mine who's terrific at selling real
estate was asking me about LinkedIn and the advantages of being part of
it. Like many people, she signed up "but never did anything with
it." There are several advantages, especially for job seekers, but
no matter who you are, having recommendations on your LinkedIn
page shows that others endorse your work. They think highly of you.
This is a major way of using LinkedIn.
So I recommended that my friend talk with customers who
are pleased with her work, and ask them to write recommendations for her
on LinkedIn. That way, if anyone searches LinkedIn for a good real estate
broker, they'll find her. That scenario helped her understand how
LinkedIn can help, even though she's not in job search.
But if you're in job search, know that employers
look for LinkedIn recommendations. They say these recommendations are
more spontaneous than traditional references' comments. How do they find
yours? They search by using key words, which find you by your background
or by recommendation; they then read your profile and recommendations,
and decide whether or not to contact you via the network (yet another
reason for adding your e-mail address to your name).
To do any of this, you do need to be on LinkedIn, as does
the person writing your recommendation. Who would write recommendations
for you? Start with your references, who are among your biggest
cheerleaders. Then, colleagues of all kinds: peers, network contacts,
managers, those who reported to you. Link up with them, and ask them if
they'll recommend you. And you can offer to write one for them. Keep it
short and real.
Take your LinkedIn membership beyond the "sign
up" stage, and your career will really benefit.
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How John Landed His New Job
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John is a Senior Project Manager in the science arena,
whose specialty is managing multimillion dollar projects and programs. He
came to me about 9 months into his search. He was networking a lot, which
was excellent, but still, nothing was clicking. Needless to say, he was
dismayed.
During several meetings over the first few weeks, we
zeroed in on what has made him successful in his career. I had him write
down several of his success stories, then we analyzed them for the skills
and attributes he would continue to find useful. Seeing more clearly what
he had to offer a new employer boosted John's confidence and also helped
him remember more examples of his abilities and his successes than
before.
We also revamped his resume and other marketing materials.
A key exercise for him was interview practice: what John realized was
that he was calling attention to those few items in the job description
that he didn't have, rather than to all the good value that he did
have. We also honed his marketing skills while networking, getting the
meetings he arranged to "count" for more than he'd expected.
Through a networking contact, John landed an interview at
an Orlando company, and it went well every step of the way, including the
salary negotiations. John received a great offer and began his job in
October, and is able to work from his Massachusetts home, a real bonus.
John now says, "During my 11+ month search, I
developed some new skills and strengths in networking, which will be very
helpful in being a success in this job." Congratulations, John!
Have you
thought about getting career or job search coaching?
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Joanne's New Book Now Available!
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The Resume Queen's Job Search Thesaurus and Career Guide
for Professionals is now available! This combination
thesaurus and job search advice guide is a fast read. It's practical and
the Quotes from the Queen are timeless. "It's like having Joanne
talking directly to you about your search", says one reader.
You can get it here
or on Amazon.com, where it's getting wonderful reviews. AND it's also
available as a iVersion
for your iPod.
Watch for appearances and book signings by Joanne. If you
have a group that needs a speaker -- and the audience does not need to be
in job search -- give her a call. Joanne tailors her talks and can
address "work" topics, writing, writing the book, as well as
topics that anyone who interviews a candidate will find useful.
Check out the link below.
Need a speaker?
To learn more about having Joanne to speak to your group...
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Thought of the Day
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You can't stop the birds of unhappiness from flying around
your head, but you can stop them from building a nest in your hair.
Chinese Proverb
_________________________
We are proud members of:
- Association of Career
Professionals Int'l
- Northeast Human Resources
Association
- Career Masters
Alliance/Institute
- Career Counselors
Consortium/Boston
- National Resume Writers
Association
- Chapman Private Practice
Alliance
- BNI Golden Givers,
Holden, Mass.
Called "The Resume Queen" years ago by a career
counselor colleague, Joanne Meehl decided to have fun
with the nickname (which we've officially trademarked). But she also
takes it seriously by keeping her career management skills on the leading
edge, through research and ongoing dialog with hiring managers.
You're now seeing us use "The Job Search Queen", which
better reflects the breadth of our services. The trademark is pending.
We'll be using both "queen" nicknames in our materials.
________________________
Meetings of Face2Face, the Job Search Networking Group (only $5 for
members, $10 for first-timers!) are:
November 7th: Thank you to John Amico who spoke on
"The Very Latest on Using LinkedIn"
November 21st: No meeting because it's the day before
Thanksgiving
December 5th: Dr. Paul Powers on "Overcoming the
Deadly Dozen Obstacles in Job Search"
All meetings are on the first and third Wednesdays of each month, 9am -
noon, in Boxboro, Mass. near the intersection of Routes 495 and 2.
For details about the programs, and directions, click
here. Also on that page, you'll be able to see notes about previous
talks at Face2Face.
At Face2Face meetings, we make it easier for you to
network, no matter how shy you are. Come meet new people who might be the
link to your next job!
Joanne's Blog:
The Heart of the Matter
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