What are some tangible actions middle level managers can take right now to improve their odds of being hired?

First, STOP with the resumes, email blasts, job boards, and interviewing. 80-90% of jobs come from networking, not going through “official channels.”

Second, START looking at yourself as a business who needs to figure out:

·  What you are passionate about

·  What you really want to do from last week’s list

·  Where do you want to work

·  What that company is looking for in skills, cultural fit, character, etc.

·  What are the issues or gaps that you need to address before going to the company

·  What competitive value you can offer to a prospective hiring manager

·  How to brand yourself

·  How to communicate your message

·  How to network into influencers, trusted advisors, and decision makers who will see why they would “want” to hire you versus the masses waiting outside sending in their resumes.

If you cannot follow these simple points, why should they hire you?

Most of your competition is looking on job boards and sending out resumes. You can do better than that.

What sort of new skills and/or education should mid-life, middle management job-seekers consider to do to improve their prospects.

First, figure out what you want to do and where you want to do it.

Second, find out from that company or industry what skills and education you need to technically qualify for the job. You may not even need more training in your field.

Third, recognize that technical fit is the ticket to getting into first level cull list. 50% of the hiring decision assumes you are qualified, and shifts to your appearance, likeability, cultural fit, affinity interests, passion, trustworthiness, and a host of emotional feelings. A buyer (hiring manager) buys based upon gut feel (emotion), confirmed by facts (technical fit), and by politics (internal consensus). In most cases, a person who learns how to sell and market themselves can get a tentative job decision – and perhaps even get to write the job description before being sent down to HR to start the legal review and interview political process.

Think of this path as learning a new sport. You can watch football and think you know the rules. You can get up and learn the sport by playing it. You can get better through coaching and the bumps and bruises of experience. Who do you think will get to play on game day?

How long will the doldrums for this segment persist? Will more middle management positions for the 35’s and 45’s open up again in the near future?

No one knows how long this cycle will last. Some believe we are in an up cycle. Others believe we are about to experience a double dip. In my opinion, reactively doing what everyone else is doing may eventually result in a job. However, proactively learning the skills and process of how insiders and businesses get jobs can only help them get a job sooner. If they continue developing those skills, they will learn a new process that will last for a lifetime of job transitions and career growth regardless of the economy.

 

 

 

What are the special challenges that middle age job hunters face?

Special challenges, in addition to those mentioned earlier, include:

Increasing competition for jobs

·  Former executives and middle management who previously retired took a financial hit during the 2009 financial downturn. Now, they are either needing income to pay bills or they are concerned about not having enough money to live on when they can no longer work. Many are trying to re-enter the workforce.

·  Traditionally, there was an outflow of managers retiring whose departure opened the door for remaining managers to survive or for slots to become available. Cash needs, fear, and uncertainty have caused many managers to defer retirement.

·   The U.S. has encouraged immigration, especially of highly educated and trained foreign nationals. While a positive move in strong economic growth cycles, these high quality immigrants have increased the competition for U.S. jobs.

Perception of being more expensive

·  Older managers usually have higher salaries than younger managers

·  Older managers frequently have higher health risks and costs

·  Older managers may still expect to be on a pension or bonus plan that is no longer affordable

Perception of being out of date or too old

·  Many managers are professionally or technically out of date. One example is someone I know who still prefers pencils and paper for logistics rather than today’s integrated technology solutions.

·  Older people are perceived as not wanting to change or innovate – which runs counter to today’s business hyper-change environment.

·  Managers often feel their value is to manage people, but not necessarily produce results or add value. That was yesterday’s model.

Some might ask,  “Is it a case of being over-qualified for entry level-jobs but not sufficiently qualified/experienced for upper management, or is their situation more complex and nuanced than that?”

Being told that you are “over-qualified” is merely a polite phrase to avoid the deeper concern that, when the economy recovers, you will leave for another managerial position with another company. In most cases, you may actually be “under-qualified” to do today’s entry level jobs. Many managers are out of date technically or educationally to perform entry level work.  They may also have emotional challenges when demoted. Why hire a former manager when you can hire a lower cost, passionate, high energy, technically current, and recently educated young person?

For upper management positions the issue is often a lack of experience and proven results. The average tenure of today’s C-Level position executive is from 18 to 24 months. It would be hard to convince a similar size company that a former manager would be the best candidate for senior executive positions when many experienced senior executives are also looking for work.

What can these people do to improve their chances of finding a job? Is it a case of lowering their sights or aiming high for upper-management?

First, they need to face reality that the world has changed. It has become highly competitive with fewer available jobs. That means they need to learn how to compete in the same way that businesses compete for jobs. The unemployed is a product or service trying to market and sell oneself into a job. How are you competing with other products and services looking for placement?

Just implementing a few of these principles can help someone compete at much higher levels.

The first step is to review the many options that you actually have:

·  Try to get their old job back or a similar position in a similar company

·  Try to move into senior management in a smaller company. For example, a controller in a larger company may fit as a CFO in a smaller company.

·  Become a consultant

·  Become a fractional manager who works a day or more at each of several client companies who cannot afford a full-time employee

·  Become a contract worker. Companies will often look to contact solution companies, such as Tatum, to fill interim positions or to handle a specific project

·  Start your own business

·  Partner with others to start a business

·  Buy a franchise

·  Change careers

·  Work for non-profits…

In my opinion, any of these are better than targeting entry level or lower level positions.

 

Hopelessness Versus SEE

Hopelessness Versus See
MP3 NOT For
Redistribution

Making A Career Change By Starting A Business

Making a Career Change By Starting A Business
MP3 NOT For
Redistribution

What Are Other Career Change Options?

What Are Other Career Change Opportunities?
MP3 NOT For
Redistribution

Do You Want to Play or Perform?

Have you ever noticed that many of our personal time and discussions are on our playtime? We like to party. We love our sporting events (my wife and I like tennis). We are thrilled to talk about our wonderful vacation experiences. Video games, computer games, movie entertainment, HD TV, time saving devices, and innumerable toys are often what is talked about yet can produce attention deficit disorder, impatience, and an unwillingness to actually do the work it takes to actually “do” something of value.

So, why should I be interested in actually “doing something” that produces more than just entertainment value?

Does this sound similar to last week’s blog? The difference is that play is much different than excusing ourselves for being a victim of our past. The past is past. Play is a current decision of our circumstances that we control.

Ok, I have been accused of “all work and no play” but why not make work what you are passionate about? Why not make work just as enjoyable as play? Why not plan work time to also include some play such as networking on the golf course, at a ball game, or at dinner. That can include your work network or your personal network, such as your family. In other words, structured play is a part of life and work and has value. Unstructured, mind numbing entertainment can be destructive and an incredible waste of time and money.

The difference is the result. Properly focused work helps others and yourself. Limited and focused play, such as a weekend in the mountains or coaching your daughter’s sports team or a planned vacation trip, can include play but should be considered rest and relaxation (R&R) to decompress and recharge one’s batteries. Then back to work passion we go!

You may not agree but the point I am trying to make is that whether looking for a job or developing your career, there is little time to waste unless there is a purpose and not merely mind numbing replacement of work effort with wasted activity – whether you are doing it at work or at home.

I am not suggesting the elimination of playtime. We all need down time every day. It is just that often the amount of playtime may be why you are still looking for a job or falling behind the promotion career curve.

My only point is that all of us need to ask ourselves, “Do we want to play or perform?”

Are You a Victim or a Victor?

There many victims in this world. In fact, anyone can claim to be a victim. The poor may not have enough food, clothing, education, healthcare, nurturing, safety, role models, etc. The rich may have been spoiled, not enough time with loving parents, too much freedom, too much money, too many temptations, too much unstructured free time, too much access to drugs, sex, and mischief. Perhaps you are in the middle but had a negative teacher experience, a professor who could not teach, a boss who was unethical, etc. It is easy to blame others or our circumstances. It emotionally feels good to blame the system, blame our situation, and ignore our own responsibility. You might get compassion from a court of law or others but feeling like a victim does not solve anything. You will just remain a victim.

We have far fewer victors. A victor does not ignore the injustices in life. Instead, they feed off of wanting their lives to be different. They take any negative energy and turn it into positive motivation to become different. They want to provide food, clothing, opportunities, a better world and a better life for themselves and for their children and grand children. They choose to win at the game of life. They get up each morning determined to break through their past, their excuses, and their weaknesses to make a difference, to maximize their potential, and to ultimately leave a legacy.

Being a victim is easy. You don’t have to do anything.

Being a victor is hard. You have to be determined, work hard, persevere, and surround yourself with other like-minded victors to become successful. Many future victors are often surprised how many older victors are willing to reach out a hand to help those who are determined to win in life. These older victors have won already and are now working on paying it forward in order to leave a legacy for future generations of victors.

At the end of the day, the difference is what you decide to do with your life.

Will you be a victim or a victor?

How does a Power Group Differ From Coaching?

A Power Group is a peer led group that does not use a coach. As a result, mutual leads and mutual confidential matters are easily shared but knowledge on how to search for jobs or develop one’s career is limited by the strongest member of the group. Since, in almost every case, no one in the group is a full-time coach or professional in Jobprenuership™, then groups can easily encourage one another to be taking actions that may not be best practice or developing themselves with wrong paradigm thinking.

Does that eliminate the use of a Power Group? Absolutely not! The advantages of joint networking, sharing leads, brain-storming, encouragement, and accountability for a potential lifetime of trusted friendships makes, in my opinion, a Power Group one of the world’s best kept secrets.

However, as you grow, if other’s in the group refuse to grow then you might later need to start another Power Group with more committed or mature members. Also, as you learn more about Jobpreneurship™, your opportunity to help other members will grow significantly. You might even suggest that the group include Jobpreneurship™ as the model to build upon. Another way of putting it is that Power Groups are useful – period. Jobpreneurship™ has been recognized as the best class model for job search, career development, and client development. By combining both concepts, you will only increase your effectiveness and long term results.

Using Linked In – Fortune Article

Amazing timing! I just received the April 12th issue of Fortune Magazine where the cover story is on job seekers using LinkedIn as a “secret” weapon This is a must read. If I find the link, I will post it later.

The key for all of us is to remember that although LinkedIn is an incredible tool – a must use part of your strategy, it is only a tool. The principles of personal development, developing yourself as a product, learning how to market yourself, and learning how to sell and network are still required skills. The great news is that these are all teachable skills!

The caution is that using any networking without first being sure that you are ready for the public exposure could actually harm you more than help you. Use of the internet multiplies who you are faster than any other medium in history. You just want to be sure that what they see is the image that fits the job that you are trying to find, is easy for others to want to refer you, and shows the value that you can bring to the party.

Have a wonderful holiday weekend!

Using LinkedIn, Part Five

Searching for a job?

First, check out the LinkedIn Job board. Many companies are beginning to post and use LinkedIn. Members are usually more professional than typical social groups. Also, LinkedIn appears to have aggregation capability from other boards.

Second, your groups might also have job postings. Here there is already some similarities with members, so the risk is less than a general population.

Third, after you have gone through Jobprenurshipä training, use your value proposition, brand, and communication message to focus on your targeted companies by searching through LinkedIn via company searches to find influencers, trusted advisors, and decision makers who might be interested in you. Also, look for those who recently worked in the company to obtain insights and connections that could be invaluable. This is invaluable when researching companies.

While you are networking and participating in groups, “pay it forward” by helping others. That will continue improving your brand and extend your network as someone who might be trustworthy.

One final word about LinkedIn, this is an incredible tool but only a tool. The ultimate purpose is not to replace face-to-face meetings. It is to help increase your productivity in getting face-to-face meetings where you can utilize the Jobpreneurshipä methodology of developing trusted networks, extending your brand in your community, and obtaining referrals.

Hiring decisions and larger cost buying decisions don’t happen merely through the internet. The risks are too high. You will need to still meet and greet, interview, and get friends to help you. You will need to get involved in associations or networking groups. You will need to pay it forward to help others. But intelligently using LinkedIn is a competitive advantage.

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