10 Critical Tips when Seeking a Job in Today’s Tough Job Market

Contributed by HR Professional Joanne Coghill

*If you'd like to contact Joanne Coghill, please contact TheCircleLA@Gmail.com

Let's get your week started off right. Whether you are looking for a new job or just looking for a job, you need to know the right way to approach it. Our very own TheCircleLA member 'HR professional', has put together a few tips on how to make your hunting experience a little easier in today's job jungle. Good Luck!

1) Most of the best jobs are not listed on the Internet or classified job postings sites. In today’s changing job market, job seekers must network and pursue those hidden opportunities. Market yourself and NETWORK. Expand your skills, broaden your areas of expertise, take additional courses, seminars, workshops and join a professional association.

2) Make every day count. Keep a positive attitude and make daily affirmations. Don’t get frustrated or disappointed but look at this as a building a new opportunity for your future. Don’t take anything personally. Make an effort to call at least three (3) people a day and build your network.

3) Plan! Define your goals and schedule steps in getting there to help you achieve success.

4) Your resume must clearly articulate your strengths and show your competitive advantages. Take time to review your skills and accomplishments. Ask someone to review your resume.

5) You can have a great advantage over other candidates by targeting and building relationships with hiring managers and decision-makers (CEO, COO, senior executives, department heads) instead of submitting directly to Human Resources or conventional job-posting boards.

6) Engage the assistance with a mentor or career coach who can help you with your job search and review your resume, possibly giving your other career options that you may not have considered.

7) Do your due diligence. Research the company so you understand their business needs, culture, company’s outstanding debts, financials, longevity and loyalty. Also, research target companies and industries.

8) Prepare for the interview:

a) Practice interview questions with someone, like your mentor or Career Coach. Give attention to questions that can be the most challenging.

b) Stay Positive!

c) Arrive 15 minutes early so you are calm and professionally ready to go.

d) Avoid discussing money until an offer is made.

e) Keep the interview focused on the job position and what you can offer the company (cost savings, cost effectiveness, unique new business ventures, additional revenues).

9) Close the interview with enthusiasm and discussion of the next steps. Immediately follow up with a thank you note.

10) References. Make sure you trust your references. Critical that you give references who will don’t say the wrong thing or too much information that could derail your candidacy.

Have a great week TheCircleLA! We are looking forward to seeing you on November 11th.

The 1-minute Pitch!

So you get to the networking event, you grab a drink and begin to mingle with folks. Most conversations at networking cocktails give very few minutes for you to make your official networking information. Do you have a 1-minute pitch?

Well if you don't have it down, then you should. Here are six simple steps to developing your 1-minute pitch, so that you're ready for any event in the future.

1) Give your name and your company's name (or your profession/industry if you're 'freelance').

2) "Set the stage", give a brief overview of all that your business has to offer. (We're talking a one sentenct " I do XX.")

3) Give the location of your business and the area that you cover. (Many times this is a region, I travel from East to West coast a lot, I work in the LA-area, I do business in California/So.Cal...whatever)

4) Highlight one part of your business (What part of your professional background do you want to focus on, picking one is more memorable than saying "I do everything")

5) "Call to action", talk about what type of business you are looking for by focusing your efforts. (If you're an actor its "I'm looking for more comedic roles" if you're a businessman "I'm picking up some technology work", yadda yadda.)

6) "Close" use your company's motto or tag line before you move forward. ("I'm lovin' it!")

This pitch really applies to any and every industry with slight adjustments here and there to really fit what you're trying to accomplish out of the event. Go with a goal and use that goal to pitch yourself more effectively.

To be most effective you'll want to revise your pitch every week or two to be sure that your messages are in line with what you are looking for as a professional. This may be a very small part of your networking experience, but your pitch is something that can leave a lasting impression. Be sure when you follow up you mention something memorable from your conversation.

While every conversation can't be a winner, you can use your one minute to make the most of it. First impressions are all it takes!

Taking a time-out to manage stress at work!

A time-out is not just for the kids...We all need a time-out to recollect ourselves and put our best foot forward. Often time when we get extremely busy we don't have time to gather our thoughts and really focus. LA Nidra has contributed a few tips on how to get in a time-out even on your worst days at work.

This article was contributed by Aurora de Blas of LANidra
http://www.lanidra.com

Whether you are working for yourself or working for someone else there is always something out there weighing on your mind. We have mental 'to do' lists; the people we have to check-in with because of their expectations of us or the people we have to check-in on because we're waiting for them to give us something....It all creates this buzz in our head that can make it hard to sit still and just breathe. The funny thing is, that's exactly what we must do in order to keep up and feel on top of everything that we are juggling, sit still and just breathe.


For a five minute 'screw your head back on straight at the work place' mini vacation; that will have you re-focused and energized try this:

1. sit (with your hands resting on your thighs, palms facing up) or lie down ( with your hands lying next to your body, palms facing up)
2. close your eyes
3. inhale to the count of six
4. hold your breath there for the count of six
5. exhale to the count of six
6. repeat steps 3.- 5. as needed

Keep this cycle going for five minutes and you'll feel your body start to recognize all of the tension that it has built up. Many times I find a tingly sensation happen in my head and muscles that feels like little stars are exploding inside of my body. It's quite pleasurable. If you can, add a minute of simply shaking your whole whole body from head to toe after this. Yes, I am giving you permission to act like a four year old again.

In addition, make room for a weekly physical and/or meditation practice. The incredible thing about incorporating this into your life is that it allows your body to realign itself. Tension and anxiety have us walking around ready to jump at any second ( this reflex called "fight or flight" is something that is built into living creatures so that we can escape danger as promptly as possible). As humans are mental creatures, our triggers for this reflex are oftentimes not so literal. Instead of a bear coming to eat us, we've got the danger of losing a job, an account, etc. However, the tension from those things still gets tucked away into our bodies. If we don't find a way to release it, the tensions pile up and can become debilitating resulting in illness, chronic pain and sleeplessness.

When animals have this trigger they instinctively release it by flapping, shaking or running. We must take the time to do the same for ourselves. I hope this insight into managing stress at work helps to make your day a little easier. "Yoga Nidra" is a fantastically ancient method you can use to manage stress. If you feel that five minutes is just not enough, you can take community, private, and workplace classes are available at www.LAnidra.com

-Aurora de Blas (LaNidra@Gmail.com)