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Times Are Tough--My Number One Job Hunting-Tip

I was at a safety awards banquet in Hickory, North Carolina last week. Cherie Berry, NC Commissioner of Labor, said, "We are all in the same storm, but we are not all in the same boat." How true.

A few people are in the Fancy Boat. They have good jobs and lots of savings. Most of us are in the Big Boat with a job and some savings. Some folks are in those TIppy Little boats. They have crappy jobs and no savings. Then there are some people, maybe you, certainly someone you know, who aren't even in a boat. They are in the water swimming because, through no fault of their own, they don't have a job and all their savings are gone. A few folks are drowning. Their unemployment has run out and they still can't find a job. Granted, I see a lot of people who don't know the first thing about finding a job, but lots of folks do, and there just isn't any work.

Why is this happening? I believe it is because we have a president who wants to rock the boats. He wants to make lots of changes. He's met a lot of resistance to those changes, but he's managed to push through huge health care reforms and huge government spending bills. Why is this bad? Because business people hate change. It scares them. It makes them hesitate. It makes them want to wait out the storm and stop spending or hiring until their darned boat stops rocking! In my humble opinion, all President Obama needs to do to fix the economy is stopping splashing around in the water. I'm expecting a call from the White House this morning (yeah--right).

So, what do you do? If you have a job, be thankful. In fact, it's not sucking up to privately thank your boss for keeping you on the payroll. Gushing is not necessary, but a quick thank you wouldn't hurt. If you don't have a job, be thankful you have at least some unemployment insurance--most people still do. If you don't have a job or unemployment payments, be thankful you have plenty of free time. You'll need it for implementing my number one tip.

Here is my number one tip for job hunters:

It is easier to find a job when you have a job, so, start working somewhere today--even if it has to be a volunteer position.

Volunteer at your church, at the local school, or at a nearby soup kitchen. Research a company you would like to work for, and volunteer for a cause they support. Volunteer to help the people in your community who will die (literally die) if someone doesn't help them (think about that for a minute). Or, volunteer in some aspect of the field you want to work in.

The important thing is to pick a direction and start walking.

Start doing something. You will have more energy and feel better about yourself if you are DOING something, especially if it is something important. You will have more to talk about at job interviews. You will be better dressed if you came from, or are going to, your volunteer job. You'll meet more people. You'll be of more service. You will rightfully feel better about yourself and your place in the world. You'll have a much larger network of friends and acquaintances when you get out of the house and do something vital.

I volunteered at the cable TV company before I became a TV producer. I volunteered at the YMCA and used those fitness and leadership skills to help me live with three chronic illnesses and get ahead in my job. I volunteered to help middle school kids at my wife's school and had a great time. What have you done? What could you do? What would you LOVE to try?

Don't blow this tip off because the payoff is subtle or the payoff may be delayed. If you are out of work and need a job, get yourself one today. You really can, by volunteering. Try it today. You have nothing to loose and everything to gain. You will be so much richer for the experience, and maybe just plain richer!

Send a Christmas Eve Blast

It's Christmas Eve, and you have been too busy with year end business to send out your holiday greeting cards. Don't despair. you can still send them via e-mail or as a mass text message. I just got a Christmassy text from an acquaintance and it was very nice. So, open up your e-mail or pull out your cell phone and make life easier!

Oh, and my very best wishes to you and yours for a wonderful Christmas, a fantastic Yule and an amazing New Year.

Rodney Robbins

Bubble Planner is Cool and Effective

The Bubble Planner uses classic brain storming techniques to make organizing your life easier. I first learned about these techniques from my wife's middle school classroom (she's a teacher). She was teaching the students to write using bubble maps, spider maps, double bubbles, and more (here is a free bubble map link for teachers). Being a visual person, and a writer, I thought these things were great. I still use them for planning my day. The busier I am, the more likely I am to bubble it out. It's just so much easier to group all my calls together, all my errands together, all my meetings together and so on. Here are some more bubble designs for thinking. For more information on buying a planner, go to Bubble Planner dot com.

Need a Job--Join ToastMasters

Toastmasters International is a great way to meet new people, network, show you care, demonstrate your commitment to your chosen career, learn new skills and make a real impression at a job interview. Is it a lot of work? Yup. Can you go there if you are young, tattooed and prone to wearing chains? Yup--in fact, your style may help you win public speaking contests that look great on a resume. Am I in toast masters? Nope, but my mom is, and my dad learned many of these same skills in Masons. I did a lot of public speaking and acting in high school and college. So, no, you don't HAVE to be a Toastmaster to get ahead. My question is this: If you don't learn public speaking and leadership skills in the supportive and structured Toastmasters system, where are you going to learn those skills? Find out more about Toastmaster today.

Career Advice from Beyonce Knowles

Million dollar image advice:It's yours free, won't cost you much to apply in your life (starting today), and it comes from a real millionaire: Beyonce Knowles.

Recently, the Associated Press reported that Beyonce has learned to be "photo ready" at a moment's notice. How does she do it? In her purse, she keeps several different pairs of sunglass, a couple of pairs of nylon stockings,  plus a pair of dressy slip on shoes. This allows her to dress-up, or change her entire look, in just a few minutes.

Sure, she's a pop star, but wouldn't it be smart if you could update your look in 5 minutes because the big boss, a big client or an old friend just showed up?

I keep an electric razor in my desk drawer, a clean shirt (covered with a plastic bag) behind my office door, and a comb in my back pocket. I used the razor this morning because I over slept. I used the shirt recently when I forgot I had to leave work and go to a board meeting out of town, and the comb, well, my hair is so fine that when a butterfly flaps his wings in Argentina, I need to call John Edwards' hair stylist.

It's not sucking up to look professional at work. After all, do you want people to think you look like a zombie, or more like a million bucks?

 

The 100% Job Interview

If you want to ace that next job interview, I suggest you do it the easy way--by being 100% committed. Whether it is a job interview, or a marriage, being 100% committed is easier, much easier, than being half-in and half-out. If you are married, being "100% In" means you are not wasting time and energy thinking about other people because you will not be having a fling, a hook up or an affair. It's just not an option. For a job interview, it means giving 100% of your attention to the job at hand--making a good impression and learning about the new job.

To be 100% committed to an interview means you will, without a doubt, be there early. Using MapQuest.com, and spending $10 on a real map, and listening for traffic reports on the radio as you drive, and even getting there a full hour early (if you have any doubt about the travel time) is perfectly normal behavior for someone who is 100% committed to being at the interview early.

Being All In for your job interview means focusing on the people you meet. It includes, turning your cell phone off, not just the ringer, but the whole darned thing. If there is someone you love who is so ill that you feel you must keep your mobile phone on, you should probably ask to reschedule the interview. There is no other acceptable excuse for taking, or making, a personal call during a job interview. I know that if someone really wants to talk to me, they won't be taking phone calls, answering pages, text messaging or checking their e-mail.

If you are 100% committed to making a good impression, you will do your homework. It is perfectly normal for someone who is All In to look up the company they are visiting by name on ThomasNet.com. You might then search by product, and see if you can figure out who would be the company's closest competitors.  Being committed means dressing appropriately. Wear sneakers only if you will be working in shorts. Wear a three piece suit if you will be working in a profession like banking, insurance or education. Smart, 100% committed, job hunters don't just wear whatever is clean, they think about the impression they want to give and dress to impress.

Someone who is 100% committed to a job interview has the right attitude. I've seen the "I'm too good for this job" attitude in factory workers and vice presidents. Blue collar or white collar, that type of attitude looks boorish on anyone. When an interviewer is delayed by pressing business, someone who is committed to the interview will wait for them. Your time is not so valuable that you can't wait an extra hour while the personnel director or CEO handles a crisis.

Someone who is all-the-way committed to doing a job interview doesn't have any reason to beg or worry. As one of my work friends likes to say, "I needed a job when I started here, and I'll need a job when I leave." It's good to remember that most of the people interviewed will not be hired, so you might as well relax and have a good time. Take a chance and smile--it makes people wonder what you've been doing. Switch things up a little and ask the interviewer a couple of tough questions. Based on your skills and their needs, maybe you are interviewing for the wrong job. Your prospective employer will never know what you can do for them if you are so tense you can't make friends, smile and show them who you really are.

After all, a job interview is kind of like a blind date: if you aren't 100% committed to making a good impression while still being you, you might as well stay home. So I say, if you want to ace your next job interview, go All In, do it with 100% gusto, put every piece you've got into the game, lay your cards on the table, and see what the other player has in his hand. Life's a lot more interesting that way, and your odds of being hired are better too.

The Secret to Getting Any Job You Want

I was at an adoption conference in Greensboro, NC, listening to a speaker talk about multi-cultural adoption. He was black (I'm white), and this speaker said that his momma taught him that women would judge who he was as a man starting with his shoes. "A self-respecting man wears nice shoes," his mamma said. Sure enough, this successful entrepreneur was wearing shiny, black, dress shoes, slacks and a sporty golf shirt. Lots of men would wear that same outfit with sneakers and it just wouldn't have given the same impression. That's when I realized, you can get any job in America if you do one thing: You must wear shiny, black shoes.

You could probably get hired to pack chicken eggs wearing dirty, brown, suede work boots. After all, packing eggs is about as low-skilled a blue collar job as you are likely to find in America. If that's all you ever want to do, save your money and wear whatever shoes you happen to have. But you could get the same job, probably at a higher hourly rate, and with much better chances for advancement, wearing shiny black work shoes. Nice work shoes make you look like the kind of person who cares about doing a good job, no matter what the job is. It is not a long journey from egg packer, to egg farm manager, to egg company owner, but only if you wear shiny black shoes.

How about a restaurant management trainee? You might be able to get through a job interview in flip flops, but if the next young lady has shiny black shoes, she'll get hired first. Why? Because flip flops make you want to wear short shorts, or ripped jeans and a tube top. Shiny black shoes make a girl want to wear a skirt, a blouse with a collar and some jewelry. Which person do you think is going to take pride in her fast food uniform? Which woman is more likely to get hired at the best restaurant in town? Which woman is more likely to become the regional manager for a large restaurant chain?

But wait, surely sports stars can get hired wearing sneakers. Heck, they get PAID to wear sneakers! Yeah, they get paid to wear sneakers on the court, but wearing sneakers to negotiate a multi-million dollar endorsement deal could cost you a million dollars or more. Why? Because if you wear sneakers and a jogging suit, business managers will assume you are an ignorant jock who will roll over at the first bone they throw your way. They will low ball you, and you'll have to fight for every penny. Shiny, black dress shoes make a sports star want to wear an expensive suit that says, "My lawyers can beat up your lawyers!" That gets respect, and a better opening bid. Easy money.

So, start practicing now. Wear shiny black shoes to every job interview and performance review. Let those shoes dictate the rest of your outfit as appropriate. Be friendly, make small talk and send thank you notes afterward. Use a little creativity, and you'll see that you can still be completely you, even when you look nice.

Team Building--Choose the Right People

Having the right people on your team makes a difference. For example, The Iraq Study Group (a team made up almost exclusively of American politicians) just published a major bi-partisan report with their top recommendations on what the U. S. should do about The Troubles in Iraq. Any professional soldiers on that team? No. Anyone with experience introducing capitalism to third world countries? Nope. For goodness sake, were there any Iraqies on the team? Not that I know of. So, are any of you surpised that this group of Washington insiders came up with suggestions that sound exactly like the same things we've been hearing from Washington insiders for the last 3 years? I don't think so.

If you want a solid team to take your group, company or organization in a new direction; if you have a tough problem you haven't been able to solve without a team; if you need to build momentum behind a change in corporate culture; well, you need a team with some strength, guts, pazzazz, diversity, skill, knowledge and wide ranging experience.

An Audit Schedule Makes You a Pizza Wizard

Imagine you make pizzas for a living. How would you like to have an almost preternatural ability to avoid problems, make your working life easier and keep your customers happy? You can, by setting a weekly audit schedule. Here’s how it works.

Tuesdays—You focus on safety. Are the knives sharp? Is the back door being kept locked? Are the floors free of trip hazards? Is the first aid kit full?

Wednesdays—You audit freshness. Is the stock being rotated? Does the food smell fresh? Is there any food out of date?

Thursdays—Cleanliness. Floor clean? Hands washed? Bathrooms and exterior looking good?

Fridays—Customer service audit. Are your internal customer (if you’re a pizza maker, that’s the wait staff) happy? Are the final customers (the ones buying the pizzas) happy? This is a good day to check-in with the boss (before the rush starts) and ask if there is anything he wants you to fucus on tonight.

Saturday—Personal relationships. Rules, ethics, checklists and techniques are important, but you still need to be around great people to succeed. Ask how people are doing. Check in with anyone who has been sick or has trouble at home. How are the hostesses doing? What’s going on with your suppliers? Who likes to talk about sports or stocks or babies?

In quality control, we call this an "audit schedule." You will probably find something that needs work in every area, every day. That’s normal. Just imagine the progress you can make by focusing your attention on each of these areas for 52 days every year. What could that type of focused effort be worth in your career? Could preventing a robbery help you? Are clean bathrooms important to customer loyalty? How much is a great rating from the health department worth?

As a quality manager, I’ve used an audit schedule for years. Ben Franklin's personal  audit schedule helped make him a success. Audit schedules, formal or informal, have helped me see steady improvement at every job I’ve every done. The district manager has one. Your manager has one. You can have one too. The point is to keep revisiting the key areas that affect your career success. Make you own audit schedule right now and use the comment tool below to share it with the other readers.

Sell Your Ideas at Meetings, Management Training Tip

As a new manager in training, Scott was at the planning meeting for the new restaurant opening. The problem was that when he opened his mouth, no one listened. So, Scott commented more often, even on topics he didn’t know much about, just to make his presence felt. It didn’t work. Scott spoke out louder. Now, he was getting a reaction, but the response was nasty looks and arched eyebrows. Crushed, Scott began to wonder if he was in the wrong line of work. If this has happened to you, that’s good! Being invited to the planning meeting demonstrates career advancement. With just a little work, you’ll start to gain influence as well. Start with these street proven tips.

1) Make a list of everyone’s name, associate that name with someone else you know by the same name. Then see if you can tell what color eyes everyone has. Sounds pretty basic, doesn’t it? Almost silly. But recognizing people’s faces and learning and using people’s names is vital. How can you motivate or sell your ideas to people you don’t even know?

2) Listen much more than you talk. Frankly, as a management trainee, you don’t know everything yet. You may not have much experience with the personalities or politics involved in this group. So, spend some time learning each player’s strengths, weaknesses, preferences and hot buttons.

3) Start commenting by agreeing with positions you support, rather than trying to take on more experienced rivals. By being positive, you show you are a team player who cares about results rather than power.

4) Enjoy yourself. Have a soda. Help pass out the papers. Smile and make a few jokes. People like to work with people they like. Life is too short to spend all your time clawing for influence when you could be having a great time too!

5) Don’t push your agenda until you have an agenda. Don’t struggle for influence when you have nothing to say. Otherwise, you will burn up all your “influence capitol” on fluff and be left with nothing when you come to an issue you really care about.

Try these suggestions for selling your ideas at your next management training meeting. Let me know how they work for you. Or, share your favorite technique or strategy for selling your ideas by using the comment tool, below.