My friend Mark Hovind, president of JobBait releases these awesome reports each month -

Here’s a quick and easy way to improve your job-finding odds.

Find the state-industry combinations with the highest employment growth rates and the most new jobs… and focus your job search accordingly. Every industry is growing somewhere, and almost every location has industries that are growing.

This report will help you answer these questions:

• Where are the most, easy-to-get $100k+ jobs right now?
• Should you switch industries, relocate, or stay where you are?
• If you switch, which industry is best where you live now?
• If you relocate, which area has the most new jobs in your industry?

The October 2008 report is now available. We’ll email it to you within minutes. Register free here: http://www.jobbait.com/e/start.htm

Have you heard all the buzz about branding yourself? Are you wondering how to make sure your resume is reflecting your brand? Here are three quick tips to brand your resume so it really reflects you at your very best.

Tip Number One: Understand Your Brand
What is your brand? I believe your brand is simply the promise of an experience that a company will have by hiring you. That promise shows itself through the tone and content of your resume – which your reader garners their impressions of you from.

Tip Number Two: Define Your Brand
A couple ways to define your unique brand is first to think about what you are doing when you are at your best. Brainstorm on keywords and phrases. You are going to want these in your resume!

Another powerful technique is to ask three different people (let’s say your spouse, your co-worker and a friend) to describe you using only three words. As them to be boldly honest and say the first three words that come into their mind!

Tip Number Three: Sell Your Brand
Your brand should weave throughout your resume in words and phrases that best reflect you “doing what you love.” Are you struggling with what information to include in your resume? If you are having trouble with a particular area, just compare it to your branding statements. Does it illustrate you in action using your branding keywords? Is it an important component to the position you are seeking? If the answer is no, delete it!

As you build your brand here’s one additional tip: always track your accomplishments. It’s really hard to go back and remember the goals you’ve reached and the challenges you have overcome, especially if it’s been over a twelve month span of time. Make an effort to track your accomplishments as they occur.

Follow these three tips and you will be on your way to a crystal clear, compelling and unique brand.

A recent article in FORBES shows how these days, you can make green by being green. No longer do environmentalists need to take a vow of poverty before starting their careers. Global giants ranging from Google to General Motors are making room in the corner office for executives with titles like chief sustainability officer and chief environmental officer.

Environmental engineers are well positioned to profit from this trend. Demand is predicted to grow more than 25% over the next eight years and many of these engineers will make well over $100,000 a year. Many environmental engineers work as consultants, helping their clients find ways to decrease the environmental impact of their projects.

For those in law school, environmental law has a bright future. Environmental lawyers have the potential to earn just as much as their counterparts in other areas of law, with salaries exceeding $145,000 a year.

Those with a more creative bent may find an outlet in industrial design. Industrial designers have control over many elements of manufacturing from selecting the materials to designing the packaging, and they can directly impact the creation of environmentally friendly products.

Read the full article here: http://tiny.cc/EoRhz

When I ask my clients to give me success stories of their various career achievements I often hear the following comments:

I can’t really quantify my successes

It’s just my job

I don’t think of myself in that way

I can’t recall accomplishments “like that”

It’s really hard for me to give you that information

Can you relate? Its Okay first of all – you see, you are not alone! But I will let you in on a secret: there is a simple trick to recalling and creating your accomplishments and once you master this little technique you too can create “jaw-dropping” accomplishments that will have potential employers really excited to talk with you!

So here are several tips to get you started:

Tip #1: Key Word Your Strengths

Start with a blank sheet of paper. Now begin to brainstorm on all the things you love to do the best. Just have fun with it. If you are feeling stuck take a break for a day (which gives your subconscious mind a chance to bring these thoughts to the surface). These are the things you love to do and they are usually connected to those skills and functions you are doing when you are really doing your best work.

Tip #2 How to Turn Your Strengths into Stories

Now look at your list and for each keyword ask yourself “why do I feel this way?” For example maybe you wrote “Motivating” as one of your strengths. Asking yourself “why do I feel I am motivating?” will trigger your memory of an event you are connecting that determined strength to. Maybe it was the time you motivated your boss to let you take on a project that generated a certain amount of revenue for your company or perhaps you motivated a national sales team with incentives that increased the companies client base.

Tip #3: Write a Simple Template for Each Story

Your template is really easy and it goes like this:

Problem:

What I Did:

The Result:

A key here is not to make this complicated at all! Keep your answers short (think of how products are marketed…less definitely increases your impact!)

Bonus Tip: Don’t be tempted to fall into the trap of thinking your successes aren’t important enough to write down or share! This is a common trap you definitely want to avoid. If it shows off your strengths is generally worthy of sharing.

It’s hard to be objective about our successes because of our internal rationale that “oh, that’s just what I do” or “anybody could do it really”. If you catch yourself thinking this way then know you are devaluing the unique, amazing and honorable skills and strengths you bring to the table. Give your skills and aptitudes their due and you will find as you grow confident in communicating them – it can and will result in more interest and bigger offers from potential employers!

I won’t name names, but I would like to share a little story with you about a past company I used to work for. The conditions were almost unbearable and although I was planning my escape and had my dream job in sight, it took about a year for me to make the transition. Sparing you the real grizzly details, I will simply say this was a company who did not believe in supporting their employees (financially or otherwise) and I had a passive-aggressive female boss who had made me her special science project.

I won’t say it was easy to deal with this unsavory situation but I got through it and really celebrated and appreciated finally being free when I left!

The following are a few mistakes I have seen professionals make in similar situations and some solutions for circumventing them and getting through a tough job:

Mistake #1: Quit Before You Have Another Job

Quitting will give you immediate relief but that feeling soon looses its luster and is replaced with a nagging anxiety to find a job. Also included in this is potential bad blood with your last employer (affecting strong references), money worries, potential loss of negotiating power (you generally have more negotiating power when you are currently employed) and something often overlooked until you are actually experiencing it, its harder to confidently express yourself to a potential new employer when you are  unemployed.

So make a plan to transition – start working on your career goals, your resume then start your search. If it’s at all possible, do anything but quit!

Mistake #2: Have It Out With Your Boss

I had wonderful daydreams of really giving my old boss a piece of my mind….and I had every reason to believe she deserved it. In my reasoning, someone had to advocate for truth, justice and liberation from tyranny! But, in retrospect, I am glad I held my tongue. My superiors should have seen and acted on this bad behavior and if they wouldn’t, then nothing I could say would have changed them or her. The only thing that would have happened is a string of negative circumstances.

So here is what I did: I avoided her and anyone else who vexed me as much as humanly possible. This allowed me some temporary relief and let me focus on doing my job.

By avoiding those that bother you, the eyebrows your elusiveness might raise will be a small price to pay for a job you are not planning on staying in anyway and it’s better than a hairy confrontation that may haunt you – right as you may be.

Mistake #3: Badmouth Your Employer

Getting yourself all worked up talking to coworkers and others about your companies shortcomings might feel good in some respects but it very well may come back to bite you, get back to your boss and even tarnish your own reputation. Personally I even considered writing a letter to the president of the company after I quite my “hated” job – partly because I had been dealing with the $%^@# for so long I wanted to share what was really going on with him and partly because I felt it was necessary for him to know. In the end I wrote him – but it was a thank you note.

Again, I held my tongue because little good could have come from my negative letter. What is not heard through productive communication certainly won’t be heard through anger and frustration.

So, what helped me? I made a list of all the GOOD things about the company and the benefits of the job – and I tried to concentrate on those positives. I confess I was amazed at how long this list became! All those points just became harder to see and appreciate through the bad times.

Almost all of us have dealt with less-than-desirable jobs. Just like the saying goes – you can’t change others but you can change yourself. You will feel empowered through having “survived” the situation and through the nobility you will experience when you take the higher road.

When you think of the word job search what words come to mind? Are they words like exciting, fulfilling, more money and more work-life balance? Or are they words like agonizing, frustrating, depressing and overwhelming? And if your thoughts turn to the second set of words and phrases, how might that be affecting you and subtly impressing upon those you talk with in your job interviews?

You see, how you feel about your job search is intrinsically connected to its outcome. So, it’s in your best interest to set up simple strategies that make your job transition easier, faster and more effective. Here are a few common mistakes job seekers make and how to avoid them.

Mistake #1 – Hope the perfect job will “come to you”

This is an easy though fatal mistake to make. It will leave you helpless to do anything but sift through your emails and surf dozens of job boards hoping and waiting to see that dream job you are really excited about. When you finally find it (add insult to injury if you don’t really know what you dream job looks like but you will “know it when you see it”.), you will invest a big wave of energy focusing on creating and sending off the perfect resume… What you might not know is that by competing on job boards for positions – your unseen competition could be in the hundreds or thousands of applicants, many of which might be more qualified than you.

“Hoping” to find the perfect job is not a strategy. Successful people don’t reach their goals by waiting for things to fall into their lap. So, brainstorm on what you are looking for and what motivates you – and write it all down! Get crystal clear and check to make sure it harmonizes with others in your life that your choices will affect. Then learn some job search strategies other than surfing job boards. Your success rate using job boards will be somewhere between 1 and 3 percent. Just those odds alone are sufficient to depress any job seeker…tempting them to believe they are as lackluster as their results would lead them to believe.

Mistake #2 – Wish for someone to “place” you in a job

This is almost the same idea as number one but with slightly different elements. I hear this more from executives that they are hoping to find someone who will “place them” in a job. But let’s give this just a little thought. Do you really want to be just “placed” in a job?

The bottom line is, you will never find a person to bring you enough possible job openings (and then place you in one of them) for you to be happy and satisfied with their service to you. Why? Because no one knows what you are looking for like you! Add to this that even if such a person existed – the majority of us wouldn’t be able to afford to hire them!

 It’s good to have a contact in a few companies – that can introduce you around. After all, we hear that most jobs are found through networking right? Well here is an inside tip: the best “networking” is not done through one or two people that might be able to send your resume to an HR department with their endorsement – in fact that is what I would call a very poor networking experience with very little benefit to you!

No, good networking is when YOU take the initiative to go after what you want vs. being what I call a “passive receiver” in your job search. When we think in terms of someone placing us we are giving away our power.  And if that is your mindset in your job search you will indubitably set yourself up for disappointment.

The solution is to simply commit to taking action and initiative in your job search. Map out a plan to find and connect with your market(s) of choice. Give yourself a timeline if you can that doesn’t put undue pressure on you. Learn proven marketing methods for getting potential employers attention and talk with recruiters, resume writers and career coaches as needed. Know though your ultimate success (and satisfaction with the outcome) will come from your commitment to taking positive action.

Mistake #3 – Don’t ask for help

The opposite of expecting someone else to manage your career transition for you is to try to do everything yourself. In my business there are lots of things to do. And as a business owner I naturally want to control each and every component. But I know in order for my business to thrive I must delegate tasks to others. I have to plan. If I do not I will quickly become overworked, stressed out and that absolutely does not honor or benefit my clients. A job search is no different. If you are struggling or feeling stuck – consult an expert to help you so you can free yourself up to focus on your success. The alternative is to give up or avoid those strategies you don’t know how to do (which might otherwise work brilliantly for your situation!). Neither are good options.

Most people will fall back on what they know when doing it right or better just seems too hard. Fortunately, the career choices we are talking about here are easy to learn and your choice of resources are abundant! What you will gain from investing in yourself (and your career change) will not only help you with your next career move (more interviews, better positions, more money etc.) but will support your entire career! Don’t risk feeling depressed and anxious when you are worth so much more than that. By following these simple steps you will be on the right track to success.  

Okay, things in our economy aren’t going so well. Though I can’t look into the future to see what will happen, what I can do for you today is share three tips that will increase your odds of getting the job you want.

Job Search Strategy #1: Go where the jobs are It’s a wise move to read the executive job trend reports put out by my colleague, Mark Hovind, President of JobBait. I am a big fan of these monthly statistics that show you clearly what markets are growing and hiring and in what states. In an uncertain economy, go where jobs are being created.

Job Search Strategy #2: Turn off the television Seriously. Turn it off. It’s completely negative and “all consuming.” It’s my personal opinion that mainstream media is anything but “fair and balanced.” Don’t worry, you won’t lose touch. In fact, you will gain precious time in your day and you will be more at peace. You can focus on those things important in your immediate world. Every day, through my sources, I am literally flooded with HUNDREDS of great job openings just from recruiters trying to find great talent (like you!) for their client companies. You won’t hear THAT on the evening news!

Job Search Strategy #3: Commit to at least 2 non traditional job search methods Please allow me to just be blunt. Are you between 40 and 60 years old? Then you probably are most familiar and conmfortable with traditional job search methods. You simply must take a little time to invest in learning about how you can find jobs that aren’t advertised. I believe I have the best guidebook in the market for this but I would rather have you buy someone else’s than nothing at all. It’s important because the techniques people use to find jobs that are not advertised also decrease their competition by a MILE, improve their response rate TREMENDOUSLY (which does wonders for their confidence), and often results in more job interviews, bigger offers and a shorter job search. You have much to gain and nothing to lose by learning these techniques. I promise you.

Optimism in times like these is absolutely necessary to finding a job or making a career transition. Focus the same energy that drives your career success to find a new position and you will indubitably find the silver lining in the clouds of turbulent economic times.

In part one of this article, we looked at the facts and fallacies of the hidden job market including why you should consider tapping into it.

In part two we explored precisely how to tap into hidden jobs.

In our final look at the unadvertised market we will focus on three real-life stories of professionals who utilized the unadvertised market to land amazing jobs.

Success #1: Kay moved from Wisconsin to Memphis TN for family reasons. She didn’t know a soul except for immediate family. Instead of asking those family members if they knew of any open positions, Kay inquired about very specific industries and only asked if anyone had any resources into those industries – with whom she might call for mentoring. She quickly got the name of a professional in the education market whom she called to share she was new in town, looking at two industries and his was one of them. Kay’s contact was happy to talk with her and offer her guidance. At the end of the call Kay asked him if he knew of any one else in the industries she was exploring and he readily gave her a contact. She contacted him (a local government official) who that next week, interviewed her for a position that had not been advertised. She landed the job, received a 5k raise; securing a position in her new industry of choice. Kay achieved her goals in less than 30 days.

*Tip: notice Kay never asked for a job – she was really gathering research and information on her two target markets. Her contacts reached out to her by asking Kay if she would be interested in interviewing!

Success #2: Jeff had his sites on commercial real estate site selection and project management for international franchises. He located companies that fit his parameters and qualifications and put those companies that were growing fast at the top of the list. Without getting discouraged he left multiple messages for one of his company key contacts. When he finally connected with him, his contact praised Jeff for his professional yet tenacious follow up. Jeff secured an interview and landed the exact position he wanted as well as a $15k increase in his base salary.

Success #3: Kevin found an article about a growing biotech firm he was really excited about. He contacted the VP quoted in the article by sending a letter, a copy of the article he was referencing and his resume. When Kevin called to follow up the VP stated that he was flattered by Kevin’s approach and he had kept Kevin’s letter and resume on his desk in anticipation for his call. Kevin was brought in to interview for a position they created specifically for him after he impressed the VP with a marketing idea for increasing revenue. Kevin was offered a position and a lucrative commission and bonus plan.

In today’s competitive job market non traditional job search methods are more important than ever to your success. Don’t wait for positions to be advertised on job boards so you can play the “job auction game” where companies bid for the lowest price help and people are moved through job screenings like cattle!

Honor your commitment to obtaining the best opportunity that fits you! Show off your value, worthiness to be interviewed and your professional tenacity by taking the initiative to focus on what you want and then take action to get it! I promise you are going to be inspired by the feeling you get of actually controlling your job search and definitely sweetening the outcome in your favor.

Mid Managers and executives get fired for lots of reasons. Some are legitimate for performance reasons and some firings are completely unjustified. Regardless of the reason for being let go there are solid methods for communicating the circumstances without it hurting your candidacy with future potential employers.

Here are three solid steps you can take to have successful interviews after being fired.

Step #1 – Give yourself time to decompress

This is the most important step you can and will take. If you have lost your job most likely you will go through a grieving process – similar to other significant life-losses we all experience. If you interview prematurely you may inadvertently “wear your grief” and/or find yourself unable to talk about your last employer with the kind of convincing detachment and discretion you will need to keep interviewers focused and excited about the value you offer them.

What if you need to begin to interview right away? Well then to speed up your “grieving process” while still honoring that time cycle, take a ceremonial weekend vacation, book a round of golf, a spa day or a family picnic by the lake. Whatever you decide make sure it’s fun and relaxing because this is your decompression time…just for yourself! Title your outing: “your ceremonial moving on.” This is a physical process that evokes very real physical and mental benefits.

I have seen this “moving-on ceremony” work wonders with my clients (it will work for you too!) and I have used it myself. When I left my last employer my husband threw me a congratulatory dinner and I bought myself a decadent slice of carrot cake, stuck and candle in it and we spent the evening talking about the future. It was wonderful!

Step #2 – Identify your allies

You want to contact any and all allies you have and had with your last company. These can include past colleagues, people that worked for you, key executives, clients and vendors. Anyone that can attest to your strengths, your attributes and anything positive. In applicable cases those individuals who can diplomatically hint that there were problems beyond your control with your last company can be especially helpful. Remember references can be provided by lots of other people besides your immediate “boss”.

Step #3 – Prescript a BRIEF but clear statement

Develop a brief statement about the reason you were fired and practice saying it. You can use it in your upcoming interviews. Keep it short and simple and clear. Here is an example:

Unfortunately I had no choice but to leave my last employer. When I originally took the position I was excited about________.

At first blush it seemed that their recent merger was going well. I had no idea there was such internal animosity amongst management. Perhaps in my excitement of the opportunity I missed the subtle signs. If I were to interview for another merger situation I would certainly know what questions to ask. Now I am focusing my attention on moving forward and I am quite excited to be here to talk with you about your corporation’s goals.

No matter what you “say” the secret is to be positive, bold and forward thinking. Your interviewers will focus on whatever you shine the spot light on so keep your attention on them, their challenges and how you can help them!

Using these three steps you can easily turn a situation you may be worrying about into a non-issue. Remember too, many people that have been fired worry terribly that they will have to make big sacrifices in order to land their next position. This is so often untrue! Use the situation to reflect on whatever can be learned from it, use these powerful techniques to minimize any damage and simply move on!

In part one of this article, we looked at the facts and fallacies of the hidden job market including why you should consider tapping into it, why you should consider sending your resume to a company that has not advertised positions matching your skills and the level of experience you should be at in order to benefit from the hidden market.

Now I bet you are wondering precisely how to tap into the unadvertised market. There are three strategies to quickly get you started focusing on and finding great jobs that will never see a major job board.  

Tip #1: You have to have a plan

If you are going to launch a proactive job search (i.e. knowing precisely what you are looking for, then reaching out to get it) vs. a reactive job search (i.e. passively scanning posted jobs, waiting to find the one that fits you) then it’s crucial you know the following things:

Ø      Your primary target markets

(e.g. biotechnology, pharmaceutical, medical device)

Ø      Your primary positions

(e.g. sales executive, VP of sales and marketing, business development director)

Ø      Your geographic parameters

(e.g. can’t leave Minneapolis, all of US, California only)

Ø      Your timeline

(e.g. need a job NOW, in the next 30 days, would like to make a change in the next 6 months)

Tip #2: You have to pick three main job search strategies for tapping into your market

Now that you have your plan, you should be crystal clear on what you want! Here are just a few unadvertised techniques you can utilize:

Growing/changing or moving companies: These are companies that are expanding, merging, acquiring other companies, are rolling out new products or services or are moving. These companies that are actively changing and/or growing offer you, the job seeker, an opportunity to offer your skills and strengths in order to help them.

Executive Recruiters: Identify executive recruiters that are familiar with your industry and/or level of position. They often have contracts to fill positions of which the majority will never be advertised.

Tip 1: If you are radically changing industries, a recruiter may not be the best source for you as they will be looking for “a match.”

Tip 2: If recruiters are a good source for you my absolute favorite company (they have the best value and the best reputation) for resume distribution is executive agent. You can find their link on my site.

Direct company contact: The secret here is in the numbers. Contacting a company directly (fully knowing they probably have multiple open positions that are not advertised) is a great way to take leadership and control over your job search. Are you interested in looking at the higher education market in your state or the top organic food manufacturers in the US? Or maybe the fastest growing healthcare oriented businesses in your city? All of these “lists” are accessible to you and allow you to easily tap right into your market of focus!

Tip #3: Manage your job search like a marketing campaign

Once you have your plan and have determined the best place to gather your resources and your general strategy, you must make a simple plan to move forward. Depending on your timeframe, pick the hours and the days each week that you plan to invest in your next career move. Block out those times and stick to them! Honor your commitment to your job search just like you would honor your commitment to your present employer to show up on time each day.

During your job search activity, keep things really simple and focus on the actions you are taking, not the results! This way you can celebrate your initial “successes,” which in the beginning are the completion of each of your daily and weekly goals. The results will unfold elegantly and abundantly and you will enjoy feeling that satisfaction of success whether you are investing in marketing yourself or basking in the warm glow of landing your third or fourth interview!

Be careful not to devalue the importance of this tip. This strategy is one of the main points to averting thoughts of despair and feelings of overwhelm.

In this segment, we have learned the basic logistics of tapping into the hidden market. In our final part – part III – I will give you three real life examples of clients that have used these very strategies and share the results they achieved.