Find Your Dream Job: Insider Tips for Finding Work, Advancing your Career, and Loving Your Job

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Ep. 082: Deadly Networking Mistakes, with Abby Kohut Apr 12, 2017

Show notes

We say it a lot here at Mac’s List: networking is the single best thing you can do for your job search—or your career, in general. But attending a single networking event probably isn’t going to land you a job right away. Networking is about building mutually-beneficial, long-term relationships, not making awkward demands for a job.

In fact, according to this week’s guest, Abby Kohl, the single biggest mistake you can make in a networking event is to ask for a job. Another fatal error is beginning a conversation by announcing your unemployment. Both actions are deadly mistakes for the same reason: they make networking all about you and your needs. Such an approach is more likely to scare people away than to lead to a constructive conversation.

Instead, Abby recommends that you always focus on how you can help the person you’re talking to. Listen to their ideas, try to identify their challenges, and ask how you can help. This positions you as a solution provider—the kind of employer every organization wants. It also builds goodwill with your contact, increasing the likelihood that they will assist you in your job search.

Abby’s other networking tips include:

When you’ve made a good connection, ask for a follow-up meeting over lunch or coffee.
Find a “job search buddy” who is looking for similar work.
Always have business cards available.
Never say you’re unemployed. Instead, say that you are “between successes.”

This Week's Guest: Abby Kohut

Abby Kohut, founder of Absolutely Abby, is a recruiter who has filled more than 10,000 jobs. Through her website, books, and talks Abby shares hiring secrets other recruiters won’t tell you. Abby is on a mission to help one million job seekers. She is now driving across the United States on a nationwide tour to accomplish the goal.

If you have a job search group, contact Abby on her website to create an event in your town. Meet Abby offers a free teleseminar, “Interviewing Ingenuity.”

This Week’s Job Search Resource

Ben’s resource this week is from the PBS segment, "How to Make a Personal Connection with an Employer Even if the Job Listing Forbids It," by headhunter, Nick Corcodilos. Most job postings explicitly say ‘no calls please.’ Nick recommends finding an alternative way to contact the hiring manager and discussing their problems in a constructive manner.

This Week’s Listener Question

Joining the Mac's List team as a guest-host is Andrea Gerson, Portland-based career coach and principal at Resume Scripter. Andrea, Ben, and Mac offer advice to listener Megan Smith, who wants to know which format she should use for her resume.

If you would like the team to answer a job-related question or if you’ve found a job resource you think everyone should know about email it to ben@macslist.org or call at 716-JOB-TALK. If we use your question on the air, you will receive either a copy of our new book, Land Your Dream Job Anywhere or a Mac’s List Coffee Mug, your choice.

If you like this show, please help us by rating and reviewing our podcast on iTunes. We appreciate your support!

Opening and closing music for Find Your Dream Job provided by Freddy Trujillo, www.freddytrujillo.com.

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Ep. 081: Break the Rules To Get the Job You Deserve, with  Liz Ryan Apr 05, 2017

Show notes

The traditional hiring process is broken and everyone knows it--both job seekers and hiring managers. The over-automated, keyword-driven, impersonal way most organizations hire is a relic of software systems built 40+ years ago. As such, playing by the rules is more likely to land you a stress headache than a job offer.

This week's guest, Liz Ryan, offers a ray of hope, with strategies and techniques that will help you rise above the rest when reaching out to employers. She encourages job seekers to break the rules of the system. Instead, she urges people to proactively reach out to the organizations where they most want to work--and where they can create the most value.

In practice, this means:

Ignore the formal hiring process.
Decide where you want to work, and have an idea of how they can help the company.
Use LinkedIn’s advanced search to find the person who would be your boss if they were to get the job they wanted.
Send a pain letter to that person at their place of employment.

A pain letter is a letter that focuses on your contact's specific challenges and highlights how you can help with these problems. The first sentence should be the hook to pique the person’s interest. Include a story which highlights the pain or problem the manager may be experiencing, and end the letter with a soft and respectful, “I’d be happy to start a phone or email conversation with you.”

This Week's Guest: Liz Ryan

Liz Ryan is the founder and CEO of Human Workplace, a think tank and publishing firm whose mission is to reinvent work for people. Liz is the author of Reinvention Roadmap: Break the Rules to Get the Job You Want and the Career You Want. She writes for Forbes.com, LinkedIn, and other publications. Liz is a highly sought-after keynote speaker who has hired over 10,000 people.

Liz’s work in 2017 includes empowering workers and reinventing corporate work environments in an effort to move them away from a mechanical mode and back into a human mode.

Resource of the Week

Ben’s resource this week is a blog post from Allison Green titled, Gimmicks Won’t Get You a Job. Allison has an entire page of zany and outlandish things people have done to try and land a job. Favorites include a spouse who advertised her job-hunting spouse on a billboard and a person who sent a framed picture of themselves to a hiring manager.

Listener Question of the Week

Jessica, Ben, and Mac offer advice to Nicole Wilson, who wants to know guidelines for using unlimited paid-time-off (PTO) offered by some employers.

If you like this show, please help us by rating and reviewing our podcast on iTunes. We appreciate your support!

Opening and closing music for Find Your Dream Job provided by Freddy Trujillo, www.freddytrujillo.com.

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See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The 20-Minute Networking Meeting, with Nathan Perez Apr 03, 2017

Show notes

Often, when busy professionals receive a request for a networking meeting, time is the deciding factor as to whether or not they accept it. If you want to improve your chances of meeting an important contact, make it clear that you only want twenty minutes of his or her time.

In this bonus podcast episode, Nathan Perez, executive career and job search coach, as well as co-author of the 20-Minute Networking Meeting, shares his advice on how to organize and execute a short, focused informational interview.

Here are his key tips:

Have a focused agenda prepared in advance.
Give your contact context about your professional background.
Ask a short set of targeted and strategic questions.
Know the background of the person you're meeting with and understand how they can help you with your job search.
Listen and stay actively engaged in the conversation.

Preparation and focus allow you to have an informative and powerful conversation. If you master the art of the 20-minute networking meeting you will quickly build a network that will advance your job search.

You can find more useful job search insight in Land Your Dream Job Anywhere, now available on Amazon. To preview the first chapter for free, visit www.macslist.org/anywhere.

Opening and closing music for Find Your Dream Job provided by Freddy Trujillo, www.freddytrujillo.com.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 080: How Volunteering Can Help You Get a Job, with Mark Anthony Dyson Mar 29, 2017

Show notes

Volunteering is an important component to any job search, and can benefit the job seeker in myriad ways. So says this week's guest, Mark Anthony Dyson. While most volunteer gigs won't lead to a formal job offer, Mark argues that giving your time and energy as a volunteer helps you stand out from the crowded field of job seekers.

Here some of the many benefits to volunteer service:

It's a great way to network within an industry or an organization you want to work for.
It shows value-alignment between you, your peers, and target organizations.
It allows you to showcase your professional skills or learn new skills
It give you a chance to help others, who may, in turn, be able to help you
It can fill in employment gaps in your resume.
It can make you feel better about yourself and your job search.

This Week's Guest: Mark Anthony Dyson

Mark Anthony Dyson is a career consultant who helps unemployed, underemployed, and under-appreciated job seekers. Mark’s advice has appeared in U.S. News & World Report, Monster, Fox Business and TIME magazine. He’s also the founder of the award-winning career blog and podcast, The Voice of Job Seekers.

This Week's Job Search Resource

Ben’s resource this week is the website VolunteerMatch. It matches volunteers with organizations in search of volunteers and vice versa. The are thousands of volunteer opportunities in a hundred different cities and even virtual volunteer positions.

This Week's Listener Question

Jessica, Ben, and Mac offer advice to Mary Anne Rice who wants to know if she should be her authentic self in a job interview.

If you like this show, please help us by rating and reviewing our podcast on iTunes. We appreciate your support!

Opening and closing music for Find Your Dream Job provided by Freddy Trujillo, www.freddytrujillo.com.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 079: How to Choose a Second Act Career, with Nancy Collamer Mar 22, 2017

Show notes

Many people believe retirement means working until a certain age and then enjoying a life of leisure. The problem with this thinking, says this week's guest expert, Nancy Collamer, is that most of us are facing the 40/30 dilemma. After working (only) 40 years in a full-time career, 30 years of retirement can be too many hours to fill, and too many years to fund.

That's why Nancy urges people to make retirement more than just gardening, grandkids, and golfing. You can also use this time to explore a second act career. A part-time job to supplement our income, or a volunteer position may be just what the doctor ordered.

A Second Act Career

A second act career is the work we do after our primary careers. In general, the work is more fun, more flexible, and more fulfilling than our previous work. Nancy notes that many people find it daunting to plan for their second act career, so she suggests three steps to help with the process:

Introspection — Think about what you want, and how you want to do it.

Idea Generation — Get out there, and research your options.

Experimentation — Try things out, to see what fits.

The sooner you start this process, the better! Finding your encore career earlier in life, may allow you to quit you unfulfilling 9-5 job before you otherwise expected. A second act career can also mean you don’t have to dip into your savings as early. You can delay accessing your Social Security, and that is a financial gain.

Bucket or Chuck It?

Nancy recommends planning for your retirement hours with a bucket list and a chuck it list. A bucket list is a way to make sure you get in everything you’ve ever wanted in life, while a chuck it list allows you to say goodbye to those things you never really liked, such as traffic and spreadsheets.

This Week's Guest: Nancy Collamer

Nancy Collamer is an expert on second-act careers, semi-retirement and boomer career trends. She writes a career blog for Forbes.com and the PBS website NextAvenue.org. Nancy is also the author of Second-Act Careers: 50+ Ways to Profit Your Passions During Semi-Retirement and a contributor to Not Your Mother's Retirement and 65 Things To Do When You Retire.

Nancy publishes her free newsletter on My Lifestyle Career and she is working on a digital product to help people jump start their second act career planning process.

Resource of the Week

Ben’s resource this week is the Huffington Post — Reinvention Section. This entire section is for those lucky people who are 50+ are interested in reinventing their life, career or location. There are some great articles here and some not so great, so browse around.

Listener Question of the Week

Jessica, Ben, and Mac offer advice to Ryan Wilson who is looking for guidance about to talk about himself and his accomplishments, without coming off as boastful.

If you like this show, please help us by rating and reviewing our podcast on iTunes. We appreciate your support!

Opening and closing music for Find Your Dream Job provided by Freddy Trujillo, www.freddytrujillo.com.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

BONUS: Ageism is Alive and Well, But You Can Fight It Mar 20, 2017

Show notes

It is against the law for employers to discriminate based on age. Yet, ageism is an undeniable truth in the modern workforce.

In this bonus episode of Find Your Dream Job, Kerry Hannon, author of Love Your Job: The New Rules of Career Happiness, shares her tips on how you can overcome age bias when looking for a new job.

Employers can be skeptical about hiring older workers because they worry:

You don’t have the stamina for the job.
You may not be up to speed or willing to learn new technology.
Your salary demands may be too high and your health benefits cost more.
You won’t be able to answer to or take direction from younger bosses.

To fight back against this perception, Kerry suggests the following:

Don't get stuck in the past
Get a career coach
Don't get caught up on salary
Study up on technology
Use social media
Focus on networking
Volunteer
Join (or create) a job-hunting group
Do your homework
Believe in yourself

You can find more useful job search insight in Land Your Dream Job Anywhere, now available on Amazon. To preview the first chapter for free, visit www.macslist.org/anywhere.

Opening and closing music for Find Your Dream Job provided by Freddy Trujillo, www.freddytrujillo.com.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 078: How to Explain What You Do for a Living Mar 15, 2017

Show notes

"What do you do for a living?" It's a question you probably get often, especially when meeting new people. What you say matters a lot, says this week's guest expert, Christina Canters. Your answer may lead to your next job or it can help you move up in your career.

Because the question is so common, however, most people don’t give it much thought. They simply spit out their title and then stop. Christina says a title doesn’t give the other person anything to respond to. A better answer to "what do you do" can be a starting point to a more engaging conversation.

Christina offers these tips when sharing what you do:

When speaking with people outside your field, explain your job in language and metaphors that are easily understandable.

Explain who you help in your job--and how you might be able to help the person you're speaking with.

Add a fun fact about your work just after your title.

If you're currently unemployed and looking for work, use the "what do you do" question as an opportunity. Put a positive spin on your situation by saying “I’m looking for new opportunities at the moment. I’m looking to help or do…”

Christina also emphasizes the importance of confidence when explaining your job. If you don’t come across as confident in yourself, why would anyone else be confident in you?

Her tips for projecting confidence include:

Get into a positive state-of-mind before you arrive at an event or presentation.
Do power poses to put yourself in a positive physical state.
Watch your language and remove the words “just a” before your title.

This Weeks Guest: Christina Canters

Christina Canters is a communication skills speaker, coach and host of the podcast, Stand Out, Get Noticed. Her website, the CMethod, helps ambitious professionals become more effective and confident when they speak, present and pitch. An engaging speaker, Christina has wowed audiences at organizations and conferences around the world with her passion, humor, and the occasional ukulele song.

Resource of the Week

Ben’s resource this week is the blog post Why Are Job Titles Important to Your Career? from The Balance. Titles are an important part of the compensation management system. The article includes common job titles and descriptions of what the job title includes.

Listener Question of the Week

Jessica, Ben, and Mac offer advice to Abbey Pendley who is looking for guidance about mentioning ongoing freelance work to a possible new full-time employer?

If you like this show, please help us by rating and reviewing our podcast on iTunes. We appreciate your support!

Opening and closing music for Find Your Dream Job provided by Freddy Trujillo, www.freddytrujillo.com.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 077: Do You Know These LinkedIn Secrets? with  Meg Guiseppi Mar 08, 2017

Show notes

Build it and forget is not a good strategy for your LinkedIn page, especially if you are job hunting. Job seekers need a strong, robust presence to demonstrate their capabilities, and communicate what makes them stand out above other candidates. If your profile is not updated, it may appear you are out of touch with the new world of work.

Tips for Writing Your LinkedIn Content

Provide the information your intended reader will be looking for.
Make it as easy as possible for employers to know what you need them to know about you.
Blend your soft skills with your hard skills to tell a good story about yourself.
Use your personality to differentiate yourself and communicate what you have to offer.

This week’s guest expert, Meg Guiseppi says making use of the Awards section and other rarely utilized sections can elevate your profile by way of Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Completing these sections gives you more content, more searchable keywords, and it passively promotes you.

Meg advises users to post on LinkedIn’s Pulse Publishing Platform. Writing posts and sharing them, can benefit a job seeker by demonstrating their areas of expertise and thought leadership. If you are a person of interest, hiring managers may search for your name, and interesting posts will make you a more viable job candidate.

This Week's Guest: Meg Guiseppi

Meg Guiseppi is the CEO of Executive Career Brand. She helps C-suite and senior-level managers with executive job searches. Meg is the Personal Branding Expert at Job-Hunt.org and is the author of several books, including 23 Ways You Sabotage Your Executive Job Search and How Your Brand Will Help You Land.

Resource of the Week:

Ben’s resource this week is from Portland’s own Tripwire. The article, "A Guide on 5 Common LinkedIn Scams", helps prepare you for the dark underbelly of America’s most popular professional networking site. It’s worth your time to review this article because no one wants to be the person falling for a Nigerian Prince who just wants to get them a job.

Listener Question of the Week

Jessica, Ben, and Mac offer advice to Kellie Goodman who recently graduated with a Master’s Degree and wants to know what tips the team has to help her land her first gig.

Opening and closing music for Find Your Dream Job provided by Freddy Trujillo, www.freddytrujillo.com.

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BONUS: Your Uniqueness, Your Threads, with Aubrie De Clerck Mar 06, 2017

Show notes

The most important—and most difficult—part of any job search is finding focus. You need to have some idea of what you actually want to do in your career. Without a focused job search goal, it’s almost impossible to sell yourself to potential employers.

Aubrie De Clerck, of Coaching for Clarity, says the best way to find focus is to explore your natural gifts. In this bonus episode, Aubrie reads her contribution to our new book, Land Your Dream Job Anywhere, in which she explains how you can identify your “better than the rest” qualities.

You can find more useful job search insight in Land Your Dream Job Anywhere, now available on Amazon. To preview the first chapter for free, visit www.macslist.org/anywhere.

Opening and closing music for Find Your Dream Job provided by Freddy Trujillo, www.freddytrujillo.com.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 076: The Best Job Interview Question Ever, with Jeff Altman Mar 01, 2017

Show notes

Job interviews can be dry and intimidating. They normally have a set format in which the interviewer and interviewee go back and forth, over and over. But it doesn't need to be this way.

Our guest this week, Jeff Altman, suggests that job seekers have the power to turn any interview into a dynamic conversation between equals. He believes you can do this by asking one question as soon as you begin the conversation. The question is simple: "Tell me about the job as you see it, and what I can do to help?"

This question is a game-changer because it sets you up with all the information you need for the rest of the interview--specifically, what the hiring manager sees as the biggest challenge for the organization. Plus, you level the playing field with the interviewer and set yourself apart from the competition.

Jeff discusses how to interpret the hiring manager's reaction to this question, and other workplace dynamics you can infer from how he or she responds to your prompt.

This Week's Guest: Jeff Altman

Jeff Altman, known as The Big Game Hunter, has helped organizations find leaders, employees, and consultants since 1971. In this role, he’s evaluated almost 700,000 people and filled more than 1,200 positions. Jeff also publishes the No B.S. Coaching Advice newsletter to help job hunters, HR professionals, and business owners make better staffing decisions. And, he’s the author of eight books about job hunting and the host of the Job Search Radio podcast.

Jeff’s site, Job Search Coaching HQ, is a great resource where Jeff helps people find work more quickly.

Resource of the Week

Ben’s resource this week was written by the nicest member of the Mac’s List team, Ben Forstag, and is titled: "The Questions You Should Be Asking at Your Next Interview".

Listener Question of the Week Jenna, Ben, and Mac offer advice to Kristen Pfeiffer who is looking for guidance on applying for a job if the salary listed is too low or isn’t included in the posting.

If you like this show, please help us by rating and reviewing our podcast on iTunes. We appreciate your support!

Opening and closing music for Find Your Dream Job provided by Freddy Trujillo, www.freddytrujillo.com.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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