Honest and Straightforward Advice from Career Coach Rod Colon

How To Work The Hidden Job Market as the CEO of ME, Inc.

by Career Coach Rod Colon on 01/22/12

The Hidden Job Market is the name given to all the opportunities out there that are unadvertised, either because a company wants to find candidates through its employees' networks or because no such position currently exists. In the last case, you must depend on your own ingenuity to identify potential opportunities at an intriguing company, do your homework to determine what that company truly needs, then figure out how to create an attractive, value-added position. Finally, you need to “sell the concept.”

How Do You Access It?

Due to the sheer volume of applicants competing for a fixed number of positions, many employers don’t even bother registering their openings on big-name job boards like Monster, Dice, and CareerBuilder.

Instead, they turn to their existing employee network to help recruit qualified candidates. This means there may be great opportunities at a company of interest, but you’ll never find out about them via the traditional approach of querying Internet job boards.

Why would an employer do this?

There are two immediate advantages. First, hiring managers can avoid the torrent of paperwork from job seekers who aren’t even remotely qualified for a position. Second, they can bypass the registration process with the job boards and confine interview time to a bare minimum.

There's something else you need to know about The Hidden Job Market. Step 2 of the 7-Step Job Search Methodology is based on the spot market. In other words, it uses today's market conditions to determine what positions are currently available. By contrast, The Hidden Job Market is based on the futures market, that is, the potential for positions that might exist or that could be created in the future — your future.

The Role of Networking in The Hidden Job Market
You’ve built a network of trusted relationships. But why bother to network if you never plan to leverage it? It’s now time to do some asking because you’ve earned the right to do so. You’ve followed the rules and observed the connection protocols. It’s time to tap your network’s connection horsepower to help you find a position.

In order to set you up with the proper mind-set for exploring the Hidden Job Market, I’d like you to consider the following somewhat offbeat illustrative scenario:

Let’s say you’re a surgeon who has been assigned the task of finding and removing a dangerous tumor somewhere in the lower abdomen of a 52-year-old man. Theoretically, you could start performing exploratory surgery right away, reaching in through various incisions to feel for any lumps or masses that don’t belong there.

But is that really a medically sound practice? Before performing surgery, wouldn’t it be better to gather as much information about the soft tissue in the patient with a CT-Scan or an MRI? Wouldn’t these diagnostic procedures give you far greater intelligence about the size, shape, and precise location of the tumor? And wouldn’t it make much more sense to have all of the diagnostic work completed before the first incision is ever made?

The point is this: While investigating the Hidden Job Market, your primary function will be networking, not selling, and your aim is to gather intelligence from those individuals you’ve identified as being reliable but only in the specific area in which your skills are a precise match. Your job is to connect with individuals who can truly help you because they’re in the same industry, not going on some fishing expedition inside industries that have no relevance to yours.

To put it in slightly different terms, it’s not going to do you any good to tap into a pipeline of business intelligence for the pharmaceutical industry if you’re seeking a position as a tax accountant. You need to refine and refine again the “filtering” of your contacts to make sure you’re picking up intelligence for the industry — and, if possible, even the precise niche — in which you want to work.

Your ultimate goal is to answer two very specific questions:

1. Who does what you do?

2. Who hires people who do what you do?

Once you’ve mastered this “precision targeting” technique, the flow of your conversation will be along these lines:
“Where do you see the industry heading? What’s going on? What’s hot? What’s not? What groups should I belong to? This is what I’m hearing; what are you hearing?”

Finally, when you judge it to be the correct time to do some asking, you must do it as an assertive CEO, not a spineless wimp. It must be a direct request for a specific action to achieve a targeted goal. Don’t worry, you’ve earned the right to ask because of your golden reciprocity track record. Furthermore, most business owners appreciate direct, straightforward requests.

Content provided by our friend and colleague Rod Colón.
Master Connector, Professional Development, Executive Coach, Speaker, Author
Weekly Co-Host of Radio Show "YOUR CAREER IS CALLING".
www.RodColon.com

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Positive Attitudes Blend with the CEO of ME, Inc.

by Career Coach Rod Colon on 01/06/12

Anyone can willfully adopt the right attitude. No matter where you’re from or how much innate talent you have, the right attitude can make a difference in your career. Try adopting these 10 attitudes as the CEO of ME, Inc. (from an article by Kate Lorenz, Editor, CareerBuilder.com):

1. I am in charge of my destiny.

If you want something bad enough, you must “make it happen.” Don’t expect good fortune to fall out of the sky and into your lap. There’s a huge difference between wanting something and executing a well-planned strategy for obtaining it.

2. Anything is possible.

Many of us blindly accept the notion that some things are just “impossible.” As a result, we often make no attempt to reach for them. The reality is that people around the world achieve what they previously considered impossible by being relentless in their pursuit of it.

3. No task is too small to do well.

Those who are serious about getting ahead in life assign importance to all tasks, regardless of their size. They realize that others are watching and evaluating their performance — even on the small stuff.

4. Everyone is a potential key contact.

None of us ever know ahead of time who will become a key contact or perhaps an important business ally. That means it’s essential to treat everyone with dignity and respect at all times.

5. I was made to do this job ... and the one above me.

Enthusiasm is contagious. When you bring enthusiasm to the table, you get noticed … and you never know when someone noticing could turn out to be a key decision-maker.

6. It's not just what I know, but who I know.

It’s unwise to entrust your personal success to your intellect alone, smart as you may be. In the 21^st century jobscape, you must become a masterful connector and networker. It’s more important now than ever before to understand the economic power contained within relationships.

7. What else can I do?

We’re all busy and we only get 24 hours in a day. But taking on extra work, volunteering, and offering time without getting paid for it is a sign of someone who is committed to success. This is the kind of energy and commitment that gets noticed — and rewarded!

8. Failure helps pave the way to success.

It sounds odd, but failure is often the best thing that can happen to us. Why? It highlights weaknesses and imperfections, providing a perfect starting point for new growth.

9. I am my own biggest fan.

When does exuding self-confidence cross the line into bragging? Most CEOs know how to display a healthy self-image without letting it get out of control. And it’s important to understand this: Having a healthy self-image is part of what makes you attractive to the business community.

10. My opportunity monitor is never turned off.

Opportunities are all around us all the time; it’s just that many of us “tune them out” when we get extra busy or pressed for time. The opportunity monitor must be left in the “on” position so that the truly great ones don’t slip by unnoticed.

Make it happen … I know you can!

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7-Step Job Search Methodology

by Career Coach Rod Colon on 01/06/12

Step 1

First, you will determine what your core skills are. Everyone is good at something; so what are your skills, talents, and abilities? What would be a suitable title for someone who does your kind of work?

Step 2

You call your work by a particular name; now it’s time to find out what the marketplace calls it. Are you a Java Developer? A Financial Analyst? You’ll make good use of a web site called Indeed.com to perform this task. You’ll also get a first look at opportunities that may be a good fit for you. The importance of this step is that it helps you determine the market demand for your skills (i.e., the spot market; a snapshot of what the prevailing market conditions look like).

Step 3

Now, using LinkedIn and your networking skills, try to identify advocates; these are people either in your network or in the networks of friends, business contacts, etc… who can “connect the dots” for you within a targeted company to get your name circulated among key decision-makers. At this step, you are performing “networking research”, that is, you are not actually reaching out to these advocates yet, just identifying who they are.

Step 4

You will then develop your value proposition consisting of: 1) a targeted resume; 2) a cover letter (or T-Letter), and 3) the job description itself. In this step you are building your case for the job. Since these documents will either make or break you, you will want to have them as close to perfection as possible.

Note: Although the value proposition consists of 1) the job description, 2) the targeted resume, and 3) the T-Letter, you will only actually submit the resume and cover letter. Decision-makers don’t need to see the job description. We include it as part of the value proposition to make sure that we keep ourselves properly tracked with its requirements while engaging advocates.

Step 5

Once you’re SURE you understand the position for which you’ve identified suitable advocates, prepare to connect with them. For advocates who are in a decision-making role, you'll place a call to them and sell, i.e., your “Sales & Marketing Team” swings into gear. With advocates who are friends, or friends of friends, you'll network to establish a communications chain to the decision makers (your “Research & Development Team” manages this). In all cases, you will document all contact with advocates to ensure timely and appropriate follow-up.

Step 6

After that, you will submit your value proposition as instructed and set up a specific follow-up schedule. You will track your contact with all advocates to ensure that no follow-up calls or e-mails are forgotten.

Step 7

Finally, you will repeat the process. As the CEO of a business, you never settle for having just one client. When you’re in transition and actively looking for work, your goal should be to find at least one new client a day.

Here are a few questions to determine your current work satisfaction:

1. How satisfied are you with your current work?

2. To what degree do you have the skills necessary to flourish? What skills are needed?

3. How long do you believe to stay in your current line of work?

4. How do you define “success”? To what extent are you achieving your version of success?

5. What is the biggest problem you have in your career?

6. What are you doing about question #5?

7. What decision are you trying to make about your career?

Make it happen … I know you can!

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We Are Networking Professionals

by Career Coach Rod Colon on 10/14/11

My friends often tease me, saying: “Rod, you’re always networking. Why not give it a rest?” They might as well say, “Rod, you’re always breathing. Why not give it a rest?” My answer is the same for both questions: “I can’t.”

For me, networking is all about interacting with people no matter who they are, where they are, or what they’re doing. It could be members of my family, neighbors, members of the PTA, or the UPS driver. I don’t care. I gravitate to people because they fascinate me. I love them. They charge me up and give meaning to my life. Everyone has a story to tell, and I love hearing those stories.

Of course that’s the practical, everyday, “fun” side of networking. I need to make sure you understand the business imperative of networking, too.

That’s why I now tell you this: If you decide not to manage your career as a business, be absolutely sure you read the following passage before making the decision final:

Relationships are the new “capital” of the 21st century and as such, will have a much greater impact on growth in almost every business sector of the economy. If you opt out of networking, you are taking yourself out of the career landscape for a long time to come. It’s not JUST about the job search; it’s about becoming masters of networking with an eye toward securing a viable place in the relationship-based global economy of the future.

It all begins networking. And networking must never stop.

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Extreme Job Search Program: Seven Steps That Could Change Your Life

by Career Coach Rod Colon on 10/14/11

Pour yourself a cup of coffee and let’s get to work on my Extreme Job Search program. It is a procedure that’s been tweaked to near-perfection over the past six years but will undoubtedly be tweaked many more times whenever improvements are discovered, tested, and evaluated.

As you step yourself through this process, we'll take the networking skills you learned, the powerful CEO mind set, and the magnetic attraction of your value proposition and weld them together for maximum impact.

To do this, your CEO business brain must think in four dimensions, i.e., remember that each component (networking, CEO mind-set, value proposition, and methodology) becomes supercharged when combined with the other three but has ample horsepower to stand on its own when the situation calls for it.

This will be challenging work and at times you may become frustrated. But the payoff is substantial: You will cut yourself free from the grip of The Black Hole. Instead of being dependent on people who don’t know you to advance your career goals, you will learn to network your way to an interview, job or contract by leveraging the power of advocates — people who not only know you, but like you, trust you and will gladly help you to “connect the dots.”

The Seven Steps: High Level Overview

Step 1

As the CEO of ME, Inc, you will determine what your core skills are. Everyone is good at something; so what are your skills, talents, and abilities? What would be a suitable title for someone who does your kind of work?

Step 2

You call your work by a particular name; now it’s time to find out what the marketplace calls it. Are you a Java Developer? A Financial Analyst? You’ll make good use of a web site called Indeed.com to perform this task. You’ll also get a first look at opportunities that may be a good fit for you. The importance of this step is that it helps you determine the market demand for your skills (i.e., the spot market; a snapshot of what the prevailing market conditions look like).

Step 3

Now, using LinkedIn and your networking skills, try to identify advocates; these are people either in your network or in the networks of friends, business contacts, etc… who can “connect the dots” for you within a targeted company to get your name circulated among key decision-makers. At this step, you are performing “networking research”, that is, you are not actually reaching out to these advocates yet, just identifying who they are.

Step 4

You will then develop your value proposition consisting of: 1) a targeted resume; 2) a cover letter (or T-Letter), and 3) the job description itself. In this step you are building your case for the job. Since these documents will either make or break you, you will want to have them as close to perfection as possible.

Step 5

Once you’re SURE you understand the position for which you’ve identified suitable advocates, prepare to connect with them. With advocates who are friends, or friends of friends, you'll network to establish a communications chain to the decision makers (your “Research & Development Team” manages this). In all cases, you will document all contact with advocates to ensure timely and appropriate follow-up.

Step 6

Step 7

Finally, you will repeat the process. As the CEO of a business, you never settle for having just one client prospect. When you’re in transition and actively looking for work, your goal should be to find at least one new client opportunity per day.

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