Total Career Success, Inc., a career transition firm specializing in helping individuals transition to better jobs for better pay and advance their careers, encourages job seekers to use the holiday spirit to their advantage. Ken Dawson, CEO of Total Career Success and co-author of Job Search: The Total System, 3rd edition, shared, “A common misconception about the holiday season is that business ceases when the festivities begin. The holidays are a social time with parties, association functions and increased travel. Smart job seekers use these holiday events to reconnect with old friends as well as develop their professional and personal contacts.”

Dawson added, “Networking, more than any other activity during the holidays, will help job seekers further their job hunts and position themselves to be ahead of their competition come January 4, 2010.” He recommends the following tips to ensure success in holiday job searches:

• Attend holiday parties and join the festivities. You can make excellent contacts, which may otherwise take weeks to uncover. Given that the number one reason people find new positions is a positive attitude, be sure your holiday spirits include being positive and upbeat about your future.
• Be open about your job search and share information not only about what you are seeking, but exchange information you have gained which can benefit others. Remember giving is better than receiving, and in this situation it will create better results for you!
• Use your holiday cards, hardcopy or electronic, to update your friends, associates and family on your current status. A note on a card is an upbeat way to get the word out. Then follow up to personally exchange greetings and contacts.
• If you’re going to be traveling, plan ahead and notify potential employers, and let them know you’ll be in town and would like to drop by. The out-of-towner has the psychological advantage over someone locally.
• Don’t hesitate to network with potential employers during the holiday season. With many companies in the midst of budget planning, managers may have tips on positions opening after the first of the year. And with company activities slowing during the holiday, it can be an ideal time to call a manager who may be catching up in his or her office.
• Don’t fall into the temptation to wait the holidays out by surfing the Internet. Online job leads are most productive when integrated with your networking. Also be careful when posting your resume on the Internet – many online resume services are not secure. Be sure the sites on which you post your resume have a posted privacy policy.
• Use the holidays to organize your job search. Do your homework, research companies, and be prepared for increased activity after the first of the year.

Sheryl Dawson, co-author of Job Search: The Total System, said, “Whether out of a job or anticipating the ‘axe,’ you shouldn’t use the holidays as an excuse not to pursue new opportunities. Many job seekers make the false assumption that the holidays are a bad time to search. Rather than slowing down job search activity, step up the pace.”

Following the techniques of Job Search: The Total System, job seekers can use the holiday season to organize their job search campaign, target companies, formulate strategies, establish their goals and develop action plans. Dawson went on to share, “The holidays can actually be an ideal time to prepare your job strategy so you can enter the New Year confident of your ability to sell yourself. The goal is not to simply get a job, but to advance your career and get a better job for better pay and a better life!”

Dawson added, “Of course the holidays are a perfect time to make contacts. Job seekers shouldn’t think they’d spoil the fun by letting people know they’re looking for work. With a cheerful attitude and a professional approach, a holiday job seeker has a definite edge over those who wait until after the New Year.”

Finally, Dawson cautioned, “Most of all, constructive activity helps eliminate the temptation for the job seeker to get down in the dumps during the holidays. No one likes a party pooper! Stay positive, flexible and proactive. Remember, you only need ONE job so do not focus on the unemployment statistics. Instead, focus on what you have to offer an employer – your skills, competencies and value. If your industry is down and you must consider alternative careers or industries, concentrate on your transferable skills. There is a job or opportunity that is right for you.”

Total Career Success, Inc., is an Internet career transition firm offering products and services to help people worldwide achieve their job search and career aspirations. Ken and Sheryl Dawson are the principals of Total Career Success and authors of Job Search: The Total System, 3rd edition. They have served corporations in outplacement and career development as well as talent management optimization for 30 years in their consulting firm Dawson Consulting Group. Ken and Sheryl Dawson also host a weekly internet radio show, Total Career Success, which is broadcast on VoiceAmerica, the world leader in Internet Talk Radio, and syndicated on World Talk Radio; the show aims to engage listeners in new ways of thinking about their potential, their goals, and their future. The show presents guests who are experts in their fields to share the lessons they have learned in succeeding in their various areas of excellence and to discuss tips about a broad range of career development issues, from specific career opportunities, to industries and workplace changes, to financial and advancement considerations. The show airs Mondays at 11:00am Central. The archived shows are available for replay or download at the Total Career Success website, or from iTunes. For more information, visit totalcareersuccess.com or voiceamerica.com and search for Total Career Success.

Posted by Sheryl Dawson

Sheryl Dawson is CEO of Career Partners International – Houston, a talent management firm in Houston, TX, and COO of Total Career Success, Inc., a job search and career development firm offering products and services to the retail, college and university career center, and professional association markets.  She is co-author of Job Search: The Total System, 3rd edition available at www.betterjobbetterlife.com  She co-hosts “Total Career Success,” an internet radio show on VoiceAmerica and World Net Radio http://www.tcsworldwide.com/showsArchived.shtml

Networking in a Nutshell

If we consider networking in broad terms, it is something that we do nearly every single day. When we encounter other individuals we engage in conversations, share our ideas and experiences, and exchange advice and assistance. In doing so we establish contacts and connections with people, whether they are mere acquaintances or individuals we have known for years. As we communicate and build these relationships each and every day, we are constantly networking, and this gives us new opportunities to learn, grow, and expand our horizons. Networking enables us to do the same thing when we apply it to our careers. If we make the effort to take advantage of every opportunity we have to speak with individuals, we can learn from them and enhance our journeys and achieve our career goals.

Networking remains one of the most vital components of a successful job search. In Job Search: The Total System, we talk about the hidden job market, which consists of those positions not posted or made public in newspaper ads or online databases. Many jobs are “hidden” in the minds of employers, and they consist of positions that will become available or will be created, or they may be jobs that employers have simply chosen not to publicize. Many people who obtain jobs in the hidden job market do so through networking, and so your associations are essential if you want to broaden your opportunities and break into the hidden market. Establish relationships with individuals who have connections in a company you would like to target, and become part of their networks so that your name and resume are visible when a position opens or a company begins hiring.

It is also always important to broaden the way we think about networking. Our networks are made up of diverse and unique individuals and are more multifaceted than we probably know. Contacts may be family, friends, classmates, and teachers, or they could be individuals we may have met in passing at a holiday gathering or other event. Social networking sites like LinkedIn, as well as professional associations, business communities, religious organizations, and numerous others also provide us with opportunities to grow our social circles and contacts. When you broaden how you think about networking you will begin developing relationships with individuals whom you otherwise may have never met.

Networking like all aspects of a job search requires effort and a positive mental attitude. It is important to be proactive and enthusiastic when establishing contacts. Make an initial phone call or offer to meet a contact for lunch or coffee, and take those opportunities to express your interests and show the other person you care. Take a genuine interest in your contacts and what they have to say, and your honesty, candor, and enthusiasm will in turn propel them to take an interest in you, your abilities, and your potential. Expanding your network with enthusiasm will open doors to new jobs and opportunities for career advancement, and as an added benefit, it may awaken some latent passions, talents, and goals you had not considered previously.

Power Referrals with Andrea Sittig-Rolf

Andrea Sittig-Rolf is the founder of the corporate sales training and business development firm Sittig Incorporated and creator of the program The Blitz Experience. She is also a successful author, columnist, and radio show host, and she joined us this week to talk about how building relationships into referrals can help us achieve our goals faster. We asked Andrea to explain the inspiration and strategies behind her hugely successful sales training program, The Blitz Experience, and how it has enabled numerous professionals to increase sales and grow their businesses. She explained that The Blitz Experience uses an inspirational methodology and unique, customized workshops to help professionals achieve real results. Each day the workshops foster fun, exciting, and competitive work environments and define specific objectives – or “niches” – for participants. These two elements – a positive atmosphere and clear, specific goals – work synergistically to unleash power and excitement in individuals, thereby inspiring them to make business connections, build contacts, and achieve results. The Blitz Experience workshops empower professionals and encourage them to communicate positively with others and share their successes with them. Conveying a high level of energy and sharing success stories enables professionals to overcome obstacles and efficiently reach their goals.

Sittig-Rolf’s book Power Referrals: The Ambassador Method for Empowering Others to Promote Your Business and Do the Selling for You emerged out of The Blitz Experience practices and methodology. It encourages readers and professionals to communicate with others and build relationships in ways that empower the other person. The practice of encouraging and validating others propels them to take a genuine interest in helping you. Mutual respect and genuine interest foster a strong rapport between two parties, and the power of this kind of partnership is that people begin to talk about you and promote you, even in your absence. Sittig-Rolf defines these partnerships – characterized by reciprocity – as ambassador relationships. If you help others and project a positive image of yourself, your ambassadors will promote you. In her book Sittig-Rolf promotes the A.C.T. (Acquire Cultivate Teach) concept as the paradigm for developing successful ambassador relationships. You must help your ambassadors promote you by cultivating relationships with them, communicating with them, and teaching them how to promote you and your business. Make your resume, business cards, contact information, and other resources easily accessible so it becomes a natural and effortless process for them to promote you. Teach your ambassadors about yourself by sharing what you have achieved, what sets you apart, and what you will bring to a position. The details that you share with your ambassadors are what companies and potential employers want to know about you and what your ambassadors love to share! Remember, always think big, project your visionary plans and ideas, and sell yourself!

The measure of success of your ambassador relationships depends not only on your strategy but also on your mindset and approach to these partnerships. People want to work with happy, positive, and energetic people, and so it is important to always be upbeat and confident as you develop relationships. Despite nervousness, reservations, or introverted inclinations, it is important to always project confidence when communicating with others. As you practice and convey confidence, networking will become more natural, and it will enrich your interactions with others and enhance the image they have of you.

In the last segment of the show this week, Andrea Sittig-Rolf shared with us some extra insights on power referrals and cultivating successful ambassador relationships and networking contacts. It is often easy to see the tremendous value and potential in other people and overlook our own unique qualities, but Sittig-Rolf mentioned that we should never lose sight of what we bring to our relationships. She defined this as “social currency,” or the value that we contribute to a partnership and how we can help other people. When you approach contacts or ambassadors, think of ways you can bestow networking benefits; take a genuine interest in assisting others, and they will feel compelled to give back to you and return the favor. Andrea also recommends making phone calls and talking to people you want to incorporate into your network, writing thank you notes to your contacts, and even setting up Google Alerts so you can receive updates that can benefit both you and your ambassadors.

Networking remains an influential factor in successful job searches and career development, and by incorporating it into your job search and plans for career advancement you will broaden your prospects and enhance your knowledge and career potential. Add power referrals to your perfect resume, sparkling cover letter, and flawless interviewing techniques, and you will leverage your networking beyond your expectations to discover new horizons of job and career potential.