WHAT KIND OF CAREER COACH DO YOU NEED?

This morning, I attended yet another Networking Meeting--for "People In Transition"--and this means--Out of a Job, right?

I sat next to a charming person, out of work for 6 months from one of the biggest financial houses in the world. She is the consummate professional, with credentials to die for. She has "Outplacement" with one of the biggest firms in New York City.

Unfortunately, her Outplacement time is running out. Because she is senior--senior--what they label the "C" level person, she has been assigned as counselor--the head of the firm. She is gracious in her description of him.

"He's busy. He could only talk to me 5 minutes on the telephone about my Resume. It was mainly about the margins. He kept saying 'yes', to all my content changes. I couldn't tell if he meant it or not".

She has had no Interview Training, did not know what "Targeting" was exactly, and has found herself two interviews that look promising. She is surprised that there is so little one-on-one time and personal attention to her specific needs. This is her first Outplacement experience, and she hopes--her last.

It is sad. She is feeling very alone, and she is emphatic about the way money was spent on her care upon lay-off--and how little return on investment her former organization has realized.

This is why, in certain situations, that Outplacement services from a Sole Proprietor, can be really effective--particularly at the C level.

Go to my web site, and read about my Job Search Process protocol. Call and talk to me. And if your company will let you choose between a big firm and an individual--see if I might not be a fit.

If you aren't getting Outplacement services, and have been downsized, consider using a Career Coach to short-circuit the process and get back to work quickly. You will get an assessment of what lights you from within--what you ought to be targeting next for your career life. You will be able to learn how to maximize every interview, and negotiate effectively for the best compensation package possible. What do you really want to do for the rest of your work life?

People are getting marvelous jobs in this economy. Opportunities are there. Having a Career Coach assist you in this process could well be the best investment you have ever made in yourself. Consider all your options.

I look forward to speaking with you. And best wishes to you for all good fortune going forward in The New World of Work. Reinvention can be exciting! And I even take credit cards--

WHAT NOT TO DO IN SALARY NEGOTIATION

WHAT NOT TO DO IN SALARY NEGOTIATION

EVERYTHING IS DIFFERENT NOW


As a Career Coach, I really do everything I can to get clients ready to negotiate their compensation in the best way possible.

And, sometimes they listen—and sometimes they don’t.

For example, let’s take the case of Sam. He really aced Interview Training, and managed to get three sets of interviews with a medical facility. Everyone was on board with his expertise in working with addicted personalities in a therapy setting. He was ready, until-----

Someone asked him what his salary requirements would be. Now Sam knows that compensation comes in many currencies. It never is just bas salary. Total compensation includes benefits, vacation time, a possible bonus, sometimes stock, often professional membership dues, occasionally transportation costs to and from work, and even advanced educational classes.

Sam also knows—because I told him—that the first person who mentions money—loses. Sam, though, was feeling pretty secure, so he conveniently forgot his script. He knew they were impressed with his background, as well they should; so he mentioned a very high figure.

Everyone around the table nodded and smiled before he left.

A week and a half later, he got a formal offer in the mail—with the amount being offered being one-half of what he had requested.

He immediately phoned the head of the group and told him how astonished he was to get such a low offer, when everyone had agreed on his request for compensation.

Sam had, in fact, thought he was “back in the game” in this wretched financial time we are in. He was wrong.

An email followed the conversation, letting Sam know that everyone had agreed, across the board, that he was not worth what he was asking.

Moral: when someone, or a group, tries to get you to tell them what you want—don’t do it if you can possibly avoid the situation. Look them straight in the eye and say something like: “look, this is a great organization, and I am really hoping that I get the chance to work for you—but we are just not talking about duties and responsibilities—and I would like to keep doing that for a while. And, look, I know that a great organization like this will, if we come to an agreement that we want each other as work partners, make me a fair and equitable offer. Okay?”

Now you may not quite get away with this—but try. **Put off the mention of money as long as you can. For who knows what will be decided in the end.

There are so many parameters of a job that are not mentioned in a job description. Be sure you know what the job really is before deciding it should pay one thing or another. Until you actually have an offer in hand, you are still interviewing. You also may not yet know anything about your competition for the job.

Information is power. Be sure you have it all. Be really sure you only give away that information that is needed to convince them that you are the very best candidate for a specific position.

LAST: We are in a totally different economic climate from anything known before in this country. The strategy you bring forth in salary negotiation needs to be well thought out and focused. Competition is fierce. You won’t get a second chance. Do it right the first time!

NOTE: May 8, 2009 a fantastic--and accurate COMMENT was sent to my email. Here it is--copied for you:

"One thing to remember is that salary ranges are all very well, but the key to maximizing your compensation is about clearly demonstrating the benefits that you can bring to an organization. A well-documented performance which provides a prospective employer with quantitative results and shows him how you solved problems or accomplished tasks is pretty tough to argue with!"

A wise and accurate Comment.

ARE YOU A TYPE-E PERSONALITY?—AND--

WHAT THIS MAY MEAN FOR YOU IN TODAY’S WORLD OF WORK


Do you get bored easily?

Are you really glad you don’t have a 9 to 5 job anymore?

If you are honest, do you really want to do it all yourself instead of delegating?

Do you like moving from one project to another?

Do you think of yourself as totally different from everyone else?

Do you hate small talk?

Even though you may have learned how to appear to be a “team player”, do you know that this is what you most definitely are not?

You were kind of devastated when they laid you off, but truthfully—a little relieved, too?

Answer honestly.

**If you are getting “yes” answers to these and some other questions you will find, go to the type-e personality web site and take Alex Giorgio’s 60 second quiz to discoer just where you fit—or not.

Alex says that 5 to 10 percent of the world’s population are Type-E’s, and that they love living on the edge. A total type-e is a creative visionary. Usually these people are entrepreneurs, top executives, leaders, and innovators. He says they fly from the seat of their pants.

Just thinking about this is more important than it ever has been. And, if ever there has been a time for the E-type personality to shine—this is it.

Why? Well traditionally, it has really been the norm for Type-E’s to try to fit in to whatever corporate mold they found themselves in. This results in a good chance, too, that these will be some of the first individuals laid off, too. They never did fit. Right? So now they have to figure out what to do next.

Also our current economic plight makes way for creativity in a way we haven’t seen. Risk-taking is becoming the norm, rather than the exception. Sometimes the “bridge jobs” we are hearing about are attempts to create a whole new way of doing things. The concept of “permanent part-timer” work is in the same category.

New endeavors are being undertaken all the time now, with the creation of ideas, products, and ways of working that have been unheard of, or undertaken in a traditional way before now.

Go to the Type-E web site, where Alex Giorgio will give you the test, explain the personality type, and let you know that the time of the creative visionary and his/her support team is—now.

Get ready to change. The new economy is changing the way we work, and if you are a type-e personality, if you are ready to live on the edge with some degree of comfort—your time really may have come.

Best of luck, and let me know what you are doing. This is important. I will phone Alex and tell him about you.