As we are all facing challenges of a tough economy many of us are feeling over worked, underpaid, and short staffed. Maybe you have already put your resume out (only) to be disappointed by little or no feedback. Working and living in a down economy is never fun. It's easy to get depressed and have negative feelings when you're tired from working long hours at decreased pay with limited resources and a reduced budget. You are not alone. Every time I turn on the television or read the newspaper there is talk of war, mortgage crisis, and layoffs. The conversations are heavy, often plagued with a story of a friend or loved one being laid off or having a hard time finding work. It's easy to be drawn into the negativity these days.

The good news is you are employed! Remember, the situation could be much worse. More than ever, forcing oneself into a positive state of mind with an optimistic view versus a pessimistic one is the key to surviving and appreciating how fortunate you are and how much worse things could be.

Some survival tips:

Stay focused on the positive!

Be thankful for your position, for your paycheck, the benefits, and the people. Embrace this work experience and it will provide you with the skills and experience you need to move on to a new more lucrative opportunity.

Dress it up; when you're feeling down put on something that you love, wear your hair differently, re-decorate your office or cubicle. If you do something to stimulate conversation, and personal interaction, you will start feeling more positive and increase your motivation and energy level.

Keep both feet planted, and don't check out of your current position. Long term, it could really affect how your colleagues view you and their perception if anyone were to inquire to them about your performance.

Set a goal; use this time to learn a new skill and take on a special project that will make you stand out.

Keep looking for new opportunities, but don't let it interfere with your current work responsibility. The key to a successful job search is timing and who you know. Don't be afraid to keep networking, but don't obsess over it.

Network: Rubbing elbows with folks within your industry will keep you on the radar and indirectly help in your job search. Your current employer may also benefit from the information you acquire, relationships, and participation. Plus, it gets you out of the office.

Understanding your frustrations is the first step to becoming in control of those things that contribute to your frustrations. Simply learning and determining what you can and cannot control can be very freeing.

If none of these tips help, the final key is to remember that you will not be stuck in this job forever.

I was reading a VC’s blog recently and I found it very interesting.  Basic stuff here and while it is a Football analogy, it applies to everything, especially the companies most of us work for.

A recent NY Times article featured Rex Ryan, rookie coach of the NY Jets-

“In Ryan’s first season as coach, he changed the Jets’ second-class existence through the sheer force of his bold and brash personality. He spoke loudly and often about the talent that surrounded him, until the players believed every word he said.”

and

“Ryan turned one of the N.F.L.’s most clandestine operations in into an open book. The Jets collapsed at the end of 2008 in part because of the tense atmosphere. Ryan changed that, changed a culture, changed the way people felt about coming to work.”

Companies are reflections of the people who lead them.  This also goes for football teams.  If you remember the Jets of last season, they do not compare to Jets I’ve watched in the playoffs.  The difference in the team is so visible. They play with a brash and bold style this year that was not on display with the previous leadership.

Great CEO’s inspire people to work with a bounce in their step and desire to do great work.   This is largely about people skills.  We all know people who have the special touch with people.  They make people laugh, smile, and feel good.  Those people make great CEO’s, leaders, and football coaches.

Great leaders need to have a plan, you need to be close to the product, you need to know where to lead people.  Here's another couple quotes from the Times article-

“Instead of operating from a tower like a dictator, Ryan walks the hallways, massaging egos, cooking up defensive plans.”

and

"Beneath it all, he’s super, super intelligent, like the guy in the movie ‘A Beautiful Mind.’ The things that come out of his mouth are not being shot from the hip. There’s a plan behind all of it.”

So there you have it. The recipe for a great leader is:

1) Knows how to connect to the team and make them feel good about their work

2) Someone who walks the halls and works on the product with the team

3) Has the intellect to make the right decisions

4) Has a plan

The Jet's lost yesterday but Rex Ryan has impressed in his rookie season.  He’s turned a good team to a great team with superb Leadership.

There was an article on one of the major job boards today titled “How to Craft a Candidate Rejection Letter or Email”, which has prompted our blog topic today.

Following up with candidates who have been rejected is essential, and it is a minor detail that separates poor recruiters from excellent ones. I guess sending a rejection letter or email is better than not providing a candidate with any follow up. I don’t believe we are so busy that we can’t take a couple of minutes to reach out to close the loop with those candidates who have been rejected, it’s a matter of providing quality service and prioritizing.

I would prefer not to send out rejection emails, but would do so over not doing anything to close the loop. Moreover, I would prefer to take a few minutes to circle back to the candidate by phone. A rejected candidate from one company might be a treasured candidate for another. You never know who the candidate knows or how dropping the ball with them could affect you long term. If they have had a poor experience it’s doubtful they would trust you with a referral.

My motto is to provide folks with a result be it directly or indirectly. Relationships are the key to our industry, to networking, and to building successful, long-term relationships. More times than not, the results we provide are in the form of career counseling, constructive feedback, resume proofing, and not in the form of an actual job offer.

The article I read today was correct about one thing, and that is not closing the loop with your candidates will damage your reputation and cost you respect. Pick up the phone, make a quick call, and save your reputation.

It only takes a few moments to debrief your candidate and to provide honest, but empathetic and constructive feedback. A few minutes of your time will go a long way in helping you to maintain your reputation, and provide the candidate with a pleasant experience.

We celebrate this day, honor, and reflect on his memory on this important day. 

Cheers to a healthy, happy, and prosperous 2010.

Seasons Greetings and Best Wishes for the New Year!

May the Christmas season fill you with joy, your heart with love, and your life with laughter.

Have a magical holiday season and a prosperous New Year.

It is difficult to stay optimistic when you're hunting for a job with limited responses, heavy financial burdens, and constant negativity in the media about the economy. Finding a new job or a new career can be rough and emotionally challenging.

Albert Einstein said: "In the middle of every difficulty lies opportunity." You can find opportunities in negative situations if you are willing.

Use this time to re-invent yourself and your career, develop new relationships, reconnect with old ones, and strengthen the relationships you have. Seeking a new opportunity will be a lot of work and it can be emotionally draining, which is why you have to take time for yourself to remain in a positive state of mind.

You might find it helpful to do things that you have not had time to do while working such as reading a book, going to the gym, or walking your dog. Take the time to do the activities you enjoy that will rejuvenate you by using this time off work to your advantage. Take this time to build a closer relationship with your family, drive the kids to school, or have snacks prepared when they get home; this is an excellent opportunity to open up the lines of communication when you would normally be working. Have lunch dates, pack a picnic, or brown bag; make time for the friend who you're never able to connect with due to your conflicting schedules. You will likely find your friend supportive encouraging, and advocating in your job search.

You will be exhausted from applying to opportunities, from rejection, from interviews, and from the stress of it all. In the interim, take this time to strengthen your spirit!

Just remember, before you know it, you will be back to work.

You've heard it before and you'll hear it again: "Networking is the best way to get a job."  That much is true.  Sometimes I hear "My network will get me a job. So I'll start building my network right now!"  So you go to networking events, shake some hands, introduce yourself, and exchange business cards.  You go home happy, thinking, "The five people I met tonight can all be eyes and ears for me in my new job search."

There's one big problem. Those five people each retained maybe three seconds' worth of information about you.

Those folks are strangers. There is an excellent chance that if you called any of these five people on the phone tomorrow, you'd say your name and they'd ask, "Who?" They would have completely forgotten you. That's not surprising. Quick networking-event handshake conversations are not ideal for establishing the trusted relationships that lead to job-search introductions.

You've already have a network that can help you.  The network that matters most for job-seekers is the network made up of people who already know you.  

Events Go Only So Far

The meet-and-greet gatherings are terrific places to meet people who may, over time, with cultivation, become trusted members of your network. Those events deserve 10 percent of your networking time, at most. The rest of the time is better spent re-connecting with your old, trusted network connections.  

Most of us are lazy networkers. We say, "It's easier to meet new people than to dig up and touch base with old ones." Yet the people who already know you and have worked alongside you can vouch for you, with credibility. Someone who met you last week can say, "I met a smart guy last week at the Networking Event," and the first question he'll be asked is, "What do you know about him?" What can he say in reply, apart from "Nothing"? That's not the kind of job referral you need.

It's time consuming and dull, but you've got to find and make contact with the people who can speak with authority about your work. Maybe you've lost track of all of them and that's OK. That's what LinkedIn and search sites are for. It can be awkward to call someone and say, "I'm sorry we've fallen out of touch," but it's critical and with the current social networking mindset, it's completely acceptable and commonplace.  

Nurturing Your True Network

You can start refreshing your true network.  Your true network is the circle of people who have authentic and impressive stories to tell about you today. Grab a piece of paper and a pen (or sit down at your computer) and start writing names. Search your email and address book! Most of us, when pushed to do it, can list 50 people we should reconnect with. Job number one will be finding these people and reaching out to them to catch up on what you and they have been doing since you last spoke. Job two is letting them know about your job search.   

Meeting new people can be fun for people who like that sort of thing, but meet and greet networking should not be central to your job search. Tracking down and catching up with old colleagues, vendors, friends, and schoolmates is by far the more high-impact networking activity.

This blog reminds me of a classic book by Harvey Mackay, "Dig Your Well Before You're Thirsty."  I think that sentence says a lot.  So what are you waiting for?

From the entire team at Perito Eleven, we wish you a safe and enjoyable Thanksgiving holiday.

While the holidays might seem like a slow period for hiring, most don't realize that this also presents an opportunity for job applicants to make an impression.

During the holidays many job seekers are preoccupied with family gatherings and other distractions that keep them away from their job search. As a result, the volume of job seekers is often lighter, and that gives you, as a candidate, a greater chance of being noticed.

Most companies work on their strategic plans during the fourth quarter and tend to be more open to a variety of potential hires that might fit with their strategic goals for the coming year.

Call during off hours

As the holidays approach, people are in and out of the office, and those who are at work often use that time to play catch up. Since support staff may be out of the office, you have a better chance of reaching an actual hiring manager. A great way to contact managers when they aren't running in and out of meetings is to call before the start of the business day or after 5 p.m.

Avoid holiday gimmicks

Some job seekers use ideas like sending a plate of Christmas cookies along with a cover letter or printing their resumes on holiday paper in the hopes that they'll get noticed. We feel it's better to be more conservative. Make sure the content of your email is written persuasively and with impact. Focus on your skills rather than gimmicks; you also won't have to worry about offending people who celebrate different holidays.

Use events to build relationships, not beg for a job

Holiday parties, end-of-the-year conferences, and other events all afford opportunities for networking. Job seekers can also organize holiday drinks with people they want to connect or reconnect with, since people tend to be more open to socializing during this time of year.
The idea is to have more face time and build a relationship. What you should be doing now during the holiday time is contacting them in a way that puts them on a more equal footing. People are much more willing to go out for drinks, have lunch, and give more face time. Use this time to forge relationships, not just look for the job.

Don't lose focus

Staying motivated during the holidays could give you can edge over those applicants who put their search on hold. The biggest thing is to keep at it. Around the holidays, it's easy to get caught up in all the distractions. Set aside time every day and continue to look for opportunities.
The idea is for people not to assume that because it's the holiday season that they shouldn't continue their efforts.

This is a really good time of year to take advantage of relationships, forge new alliances, and to use the holiday spirit to your benefit.