Keep your dreams-they’re richer far/Than the facts discovered are.

Do not seek all things to touch;/Do not want to know too much.

Growing old, still play the child;/Keep some glory undefiled.

What if clouds are mist and air? /Still see ships sailing there.

What would life be if we knew /Only those things which are true?

If the things of bad and good /Were by all men understood.

Nature’s hills and brooks and springs /Would be catalogued as things.

Keep your dreams, for in them lies /Joy denied to men grown wise.

Still build castles in the air! /Still see white ships sailing there!
Still have something to pursue/Something that you wish you knew.

Edgar A. Guest, poet.

Why are people such jerks sometimes?

One of my favorite clients was almost derailed from pursuing an industry he wants to pursue by a negative person who told him he couldn’t get into it.  Another wants to quit the corporate rat race and go be a massage therapist…only to hear discouraging things.

These men are highly accomplished.  The fact is, they can do anything they want to do, and have in the past.  But negative people are derailing them.  And why?  Because they listen to these jerks!

Look, opinions are like rectums.  Everyone has one and most of them stink.  No one has a crystal ball to be able to predict what will happen in the future.  But I can say this:  Those who pursue their dreams, do the work, operate with humility, and stay the course normally achieve them.  But most people get discouraged or sell out.

No one says that achieving your dreams will be easy.  There will be heartbreak and setbacks along the way to achieving what you dream of.  Not everyone will make it the whole way.  But won’t life be better working for something rather than selling out and settling into a rut?

If there is something you want to do, there are several important steps.

1). Be clear about what you want to achieve. Those who are moving in a clear and single-minded direction are much more likely to achieve their dreams than those who are just vaguely daydreaming now and then.  Obtain a career coach, life coach or transition coach to help you clarify this if you do not already have clarity.

2).  Vision this. Spend at least 20 minutes a day daydreaming and visioning your dream.

3).  See yourself achieving your dream. When you’re daydreaming, try to feel the way you’ll feel when you’ve achieved your dream.  See yourself in it.  See yourself wildly successful.

4).  Clear the decks of naysayers. Get rid of negative people around you! If a friend or family member is negative on your dream…dump ‘em.  If it is your spouse or someone else you have a special relationship with, throw a temper tantrum and tell them to stop shooting down your dreams.  If they won’t comply….well, you have some decisions to make, don’t you?  No one has the right to shoot down your dreams, though certain relationships may well give you different dreams.

5).  Stay the course. No one says it will be easy.  Once you’ve set a course to achieve your dreams, stick with it.  Don’t let temporary setbacks derail you from your dream.  Remember the Japanese proverb, “Fall seven times, get up eight.”  You’re not a failure until you quit trying.

6).  Enlist positive others.  Find some folks that you can share your dream with, and hang out with them almost exclusively.  The synergy created will help your dream come about more rapidly.

7).  Act. You can daydream all you want.  Daydreaming is helpful in visioning your dream.  But it is useless without getting up off your dead butt and doing things to make your dream come about.

8).  Pursue many ways of achieving your dream. Sometimes, people get all excited when they think they see a way to make their dream happen, then disappointed when it doesn’t work out.  Have several avenues to success.  Don’t stop working on all of the others just because one pops up.  Keep working the several avenues to reach your dream until it is actually achieved.

9).  Support the dreams of others. If you’re a naysayer, you are derailing the dreams of others, and what you do in negativity normally comes back on you.  Shut your mouth and support others in their dreams, whether you think they can achieve them or not.  How do you know?  Rather than being negative, be positive and supportive of others who have a dream.  This will assist your dream in coming to life.

10).  Pay it forward. Help others who are trying to achieve a dream.  Know that someday this will come back to you ten fold and a hundred fold.  Stay in the flow of life.  Don’t hoard.  Be generous.

These are the ways of achieving what you dream of achieving.  Don’t let anyone derail you from your dreams.  They are more important than most people who come and go in your life, as they are the expression of the center and foundation of who you are.  By achieving your dreams, you are truly expressing joy and gratitude to the Universe for having “wonderously made” you.

J.

Lots of our clients “come in” angry.  Getting laid off after years of service is not fun.  Most of our clients were looking forward to staying with the company until they wished to leave.  Most of them feel they have a “right: to be angry.  Well, they do have a right to be angry in the same way as they have a right to take a gun and blow off their right toe.  And that probably has less real world consequences than your anger at your (now former) employer.

Anger manifests in many ways.  The first and most stupid of all these ways is with a lawsuit.  Except for the lawyers, nobody wins in a lawsuit.  Whether you prevail or not, a lawsuit is a public record.  Future prospective employers can “Google” you and the lawsuit will pop up, especially if they use one of the many background checking companies who knows how to do searches for such.  An employer would be nuts to hire you.  You’ve proven that, if things don’t go your way, you’re going to sue.

Most employers know that filing a suit against an employer is a very career limiting move.  Therefore, threatening or having your attorney threaten usually is just plain not useful.  They’ll know you’re probably bluffing.

And, keep in mind that employees very rarely prevail in suits against employers.  Their attorneys are better than the ones you can likely afford, and few attorneys take these types of suits on contingency.  So…expressing your anger through the legal system is a waste of your time.

“Badmouthing” your former employer is also a very career limiting move.  It will get around that you are badmouthing the former employer, and new prospective employers will simply wonder if they are next on the list.

It is incredibly short-sighted in this time to say anything bad about anyone.  You do not know how far or deep their influence goes, or how well known they are.  For example, my roots in Denver go back 50 years.  My family has been very well known in a variety of arenas.  Badmouthing me, for example, would simply reflect poorly on the person badmouthing me.  My reputation here is solid, and many people who know me would defend me….making the credibility of the person badmouthing me very shaky.  And you never know, when you badmouth an employer, if the same reality is present.  Don’t ever say anything negative about anyone unless you have a professional responsibility to do so.  Even then, tread carefully.

Do not file sexual harassment complaints, discrimination complaints, ADA complaints or other kinds of complaints against employers.  Yes, sexual harassment occurs, discrimination is common, and the disabled get a raw deal. But these sorts of complaints are very easy to discover in the referencing process that goes on prior to an offer.  Many employers will pass on an employee who has filed any kind of EEO complaint, no matter how valid.

The reason is simple.  EEO complaints are often used to strike back at managers who discipline employees.  This is especially true of sexual harassment complaints.  Employers do not want to hire trouble or conflict into their organizations.  Who can blame them?

If you are being sexually harassed or discriminated against, put your anger on hold and simply move on.  First, no job is worth the hassle of the investigations, the shunning by other employees, and the wariness of your employers.  Secondly, most of these complaints don’t go anywhere.  The nature of most sexual harassment is that it is done privately.  It is often a matter of “he said, she said.”  While, in the past, the alleged victim was simply believed, and the alleged perpetrator punished, this is no longer feasible.  Several alleged perpetrators filed suits against companies that disciplined them without evidence…and won.  This is, all evidence to the contrary, still America, and people must have due process.  If you are getting unwanted sexual attention….quit and move on.  You’ll be much happier than if you try to make trouble, no matter how valid that trouble may be.

(Yes, I know that feminist groups will beat me up for what I’ve just said about sexual harassment.  Let me be clear:  I have a zero tolerance policy for sexual harassment in the company I run.  I am being pragmatic, not ideological.   If you have to choose between the two, pragmatic is better.)

But the anger issue goes beyond carrying out anger in lawsuits, grievances and badmouthing.  It is career suicide to hang on to that anger when you’re interviewing for a job.  The fury that you feel…the sense of injustice…will come through to employers.

This is a problem I often see in my middle aged and older workers.  They are angry because they don’t think that they should have to be looking for a job at their age.  They are angry because they see younger people getting promoted when they may have reached the apex of their careers.  They’re angry because they think they’re being discriminated against in interviews due to their age.

But this is operating in the same entitlement I see in younger workers who feel that they should be making $100K right out of college.  It is petty and downright stupid.  This kind of entitlement has, unfortunately, swept across America in many ways.  But the very people who descry the entitlement attitude of people regarding government are often the angriest because they feel “entitled” to not be looking for a job and so on.

And it is picked up instantly by employers.  Having this anger or having desperation are the two most rapid ways to destroy your chances of employment.  Employers who pick up anger in a potential employee know that they are hiring problems.  And who wants to hire a problem?  Enough of those come along without hiring them, too.

Get Rid Of Your Anger

You must get rid of your anger if you hope to wind up employed anytime soon.  Your anger is irrational, anyway, as well as physically harmful to you.  Here are a few tips for letting go of your anger.

1).  What are you angry about anyway?  You did not have a right to the job you held.  It was a privilege given to you by the employer/   If you want to have control over your life ¾ go into business for yourself.  While this does not give you total control, it is better than working for the Man.  One of my CEO friends, Preston Wilson, points out that, so long as you work for the Man, you are vulnerable and at that person’s beck and call.

You chose the life of working in a corporation for someone else.  Getting laid off or terminated is one of the possible consequences of that decision.  If you don’t like the potential consequences (and everything has potential consequences), chose another path.

But don’t allow your angry emotions to rule you when one of the very real potential consequences of being an employee comes about.  That job was not your right.  You weren’t entitled to it.

2).  Accept this time as a gift.  This is a great gift from the Universe, whether you realize it or not.  It is your forced chance to re-evaluate your life and see if you need to travel some different roads.  Rather than being angry about this, be grateful to God or the Universe or whatever that you have been given this chance.

I’ve known lots of people in life who haven’t been given this kick in the ass, and they have retired frustrated and depressed.  They have heads full of regrets and wishes that they are too old to do.  Not you!  You have been given this opportunity while you’re still young enough to actually do those things you have been wishing to do.

I can hear the “money” objection.  But “money” is always an excuse.  There is always money to do those things you truly wish to do, and never money to do those things about which you are ambivalent.

You may have a few physical limitations.  But most of what you truly wish to do in life you are going to be able to do…..if you get off of your dead ass and get started on them.  And the gift your former employer just gave you is the kick in the seat of the pants to do just that.

3).  Laugh at yourself (and others who are angry about being laid off).  It is just plain silly to be angry at being terminated or laid off.  At worst, you did things to lead to it.  Don’t do them again.  At best, you were caught in an industry storm.  You might as well be mad at a hurricane!

4).  Find creative ways to make ends meet.  Most of my readership has some cushion.  For those of you who don’t, find creative ways to make money.

A friend of a client/friend of mind was laid off.  His wife had been making custom bracelets with custom messages on them for friends for years.  He knew a bit about the internet, and put up a website for her.

Well, he got a new job, but soon had to quit.  His wife’s little business was bringing in so much money, and growing so fast that everyone in the family had to get involved.  Getting laid off gave this family a family business, and a great deal more freedom, both financially and time-wise.

Get A Job Outta Your Head

Too many people think that they need a “j-o-b” to make money.  I haven’t had a job since I’ve been 23 (with a brief, miserable, 2 year exception).  Obviously, I’m not starving.

Oh sure, it would be nice sometimes to have guaranteed vacation days and sick days, to have better benefits than small businesses can get in our backward country, and so on.  But I would never want to work for anyone!

Now, what this means is that I’m constantly interviewing for a job.  Bringing new clients in is very similar to a job interview….several times a month.  If I don’t succeed, I don’t pay the bills, and I get cranky creditors.  Yet, I would prefer to cut off vital parts of my anatomy to having a (spit) job.  Why would I want to enslave my body and mind in that way?

Now, this philosophy isn’t for everyone.  But the philosophy that someone else needs to give them a job is simply foolish….and short-sighted.  So long as you are counting on another person to take care of you financially, you are enslaved!

Rather than simply looking for a job, look at the dozens of ways that one can make money without a job.  One might engage you enough that you will gain the courage to get out of the rat race and be your own man or woman.

Remember….even if you win in the rat race….you’re still a rat.

Look at life a bit differently.  Let go of your anger.  Get creative.  You’ll be better for it at the end.

What makes it worse is that everyone thinks they are a résumé expert.  Headhunters say one thing.  HR professionals say something else.  Your brother-in-law thinks he has the perfect résumé style.  There are thousands of templates on the Internet, in bookstores, and even on MS Word.  How can you know which one is right?

A dirty little secret that nobody wants you to know is that your résumé is mostly a waste of time.

Very few positions are obtained with résumés.  Most of my clients very rarely even pull their résumé out of their briefcases.  And this is how it should be if one is looking for the very best jobs.

Now, at some point in the job search process, the HR weenies are going to need a résumé, so you’d better have one.  They, being the ticky little linear thinkers that they are, want to have a résumé nicely arranged in standard reverse chronological order.  Have a copy of that ready to give to HR.  But don’t use it for real people.  In fact, if you’re an executive, you should very rarely give out a résumé to anyone but the HR weenies.  And then only after you’ve talked to someone who can actually make a decision on hiring you.

Here is why you should very rarely use a résumé in ten easy lessons.

1).  Using a résumé gives an employer a chance to reject you before they’ve even seen you.  A résumé is very rarely a good reflection of you as a person.  Many very good people are rejected on their résumés.

2).  Your résumé cannot give a good picture of your professional career. A résumé is a snapshot, not a video.  It only concentrates on certain areas of your skills and knowledge.

3).  It goes to the personnel weenies. HR is your worst enemy.  For more explanation as to why, read my post in ColoradoBiz Magazine.  http://www.cobizmag.com/articles/human-resources-an-execs-worst-enemy/

4).  Sending out résumés gives you the illusion that you’re doing something about your job search.  This will often keep you from doing things that are actually useful for your job search. Like networking.

5).  Posting your résumé everywhere is a really good way to lower your offer. You will get to be known as someone who is desperate for a job, and will take any money that you are offered.

6).  You get to be known as someone desperate for a job.  In addition to the above, being known as a desperado does not help you get a job.  People rarely want to hire people who are desperate for a job.

7).  You waste time fiddling with it. I know executives who have spent whole days messin’ with their résumé.  These are wasted days!

8).  You have tons of competition for any job you have to send in a résumé for. And there are a thousand other people just like you, who have the illusion that they have the “perfect” résumé.  It’s like playing the lottery.  Too many people count on winning the lottery to “make them rich.”  If they put as much energy into learning and practicing the tools for creating wealth, they’d be wealthy other ways that don’t count on buying a little ticket and competing with millions of others to chase a state-sponsored gambling racket.  It is the same with sending résumés.  You’re gambling and hoping that you’ll be the lucky one.

9).  A résumé lets companies bypass human beings.  All they often do is feed your résumé into a document scanner and search for keywords.  If you haven’t happened to put the right keywords in the right place on your résumé…you’re dead.    Your résumé then goes to line a birdcage or be shredded for hamster bedding or some other useful function.

And…

10).  A hiring authority will probably never see it. Even if you address it to a hiring authority, it is likely to be either sent to a). HR (see above) or b). discarded by an admin.  The chances of a hiring authority seeing it if you email it to him or her is even lower.

In other words, your résumé is one, big, fat waste of time and effort!

You need to have one, of course.  That is why I have a résumé book (link here).  But you don’t use it to fish for a job.  You use it after you’re in conversation with an actual hiring authority.

But even then, a “bio” is becoming the gold standard, not a résumé.  Writing a good bio (subject of my next post) is actually more important than writing a good résumé.

Here’s one more reason not to spend time on your résumé.  Most companies see them as old fashioned and outmoded.  Especially if you’re an older employee, you want to look up-to-date and cutting edge.  The typical chronological résumé belongs in the Dark Ages…say, 1979, which my daughter tells me was before the birth of Jesus….or, at least, her, and, thus, unimportant.

Networking is your ticket to a very good job.  It is, truly, the only thing that works in today’s executive world.

Now, the fact is, that most executives go about networking in entirely the wrong way and wind up wasting their time there, too.  But that, as they say, is a whole other Oprah.

My advice on résumés?  Chill on your résumé.  You didn’t hire someone off of a piece of paper when you were hiring.  Neither will your next employer.  Stop being so superstitious about it.  Carry a rabbit’s foot if you must.  But just remember, that the rabbit’s foot wasn’t very luck for the rabbit, now was it?  Résumés are so last century!  Do the things that work in this century, which are networking and bios.

Future posts will address both of those issues.  But for now….chill on your résumé.

If you want to have a complete blueprint of what actually works, click here to purchase our In Transition series of books and DVDs.  On these, I can go into much more detail than I am able to do in this venue.  Also, join us on June 28^th for a class taught by me and Nicole Heckers, Why Am I Still Unemployed. Click here to register.

Until next time…..the best of luck on your job search!

First, let’s look at some of the reasons that people become unemployed.

1).  Simple lay-off. Sometimes people are just laid off — even ones that are highly valued by the organization.  This often happens if the company merges, is acquired, or goes out of business.  There is often not a choice process at all.  The best people may get the axe.  This is something you cannot do anything about.  If you were a top employee, and highly valued, it is likely that someone else will highly value you, as well, if you get in front of them.

Your job now is to get out there.  Build your network.  Join a group that has a ready-made network, like we do.  Become well known and well networked, and you should be working in no time.

2).  You were selected for lay-off. But sometimes, a lay-off is just a nice way of firing you.  You may not have done anything egregious enough for getting fired, but you weren’t one of the people selected to stay, either.  Some of the following reasons might apply to you.

3).  You got complacent. You might have been too complacent in your job.  You might have not had the energy or the drive you once had that got you to the position you held.

4).  You got incompetent. Maybe you were making mistakes on the job.  You might not have been paying attention like you should have to the details and intracasies of your job.  Pay better attention and don’t make so many mistakes at your next job.

5).  You looked and acted old. There still is age discrimination in most corporations.  But you could have well contributed to that.  If you are able, dye your hair to look a little younger (but don’t make it completely dyed….keep a little of the gray.  There are products on the market that help you do this.)  Work out in the gym.  Even if you’re overweight, like I am, working out a few times a week will make you look younger because it tones the skin and muscles.  You aren’t going to look like Aaahnold, but you will look better.

6).  You are a smoker.  Stop smoking. I have heard top executives tell me that they won’t hire someone who smokes.  Smoking makes you look much older, and interferes with your productivity.  Stop it.

7).  You are a large person. I, of all people, know how hard it is to lose weight.  Do whatever you can to lose weight.  Size discrimination is rampant in our society.  It is wrong and sick.  But it exists.

You might not ever get to be, like those anorexic models on TV, a size two, but even dropping 10% of body weight will make you look better and more energetic, even if you aren’t.

8).  You are a special needs executive. There are some of our clients who need their hands held, and can’t seem to get even simple concepts.  We call them our “special needs CEOs.”

We truly wonder how some folks ever made it up the corporate ladder, because we aren’t sure that they know how to tie their shoelaces (this is, perhaps, why they wear loafers?).  They’ve become so dependent on delegating and assistants that they cannot do much for themselves.  Shoot, I’d lay them off, too!

9).  You are an a**hole. There seems to be a value in some parts of corporate America that the executives need to be jerks.  While most of the top level executives I’ve worked with are the nicest people in the world (and have become good friends as we’ve worked together), a very few are just plain jerks.  Evaluate yourself, or have an objective person evaluate you.  Your behavior might be demanding, entitled, childish, or tyrannical.  If this is so, you deserved to be laid off or fired.  Change your behavior and learn to be a human being.

10).  You are behind the times. I know one executive who scoffs at LinkedIn and other social networking venues.  We’ve offered to teach him time and again, and he just doesn’t buy this “new stuff.”

He’s lucky that he’s in a position of working for himself, because if he were in a corporation, he’d be out, out, out.  If you don’t like “newfangled contraptions” like computers, or can’t work on-line…you deserve to be put out to pasture.  Get over it and learn the new stuff!

11). You wouldn’t play politics! This is the top, number one reason that executives get laid off!  Yet every executive I work with says they hate playing politics.  Oh well.  It is a necessary part of the corporate world.  Don’t want to play politics?  Go live on a desert island.

Here are some ways to get re-employed.

1).  Modify your behavior. If your behavior was what got you fired or laid off, modify it.  The best advice I can give you?  Hire a coach now! People are notoriously bad at modifying their own behavior.  That is why I have trusted business advisors, a personal trainer, and other coaches that help me to be my best.

Your personality may impose some limitations.  Your physical state may impose others.  Work with what you have to be the best you that you can be.

Don’t be a cheap so and so about the coach, either.  Hire the best coach you can find, and pay their fee with a smile.  If they’re truly skilled, they will return that investment to you many-fold.

2).  Learn to play politics well. Again, hire a coach now! You need to learn to play politics and play it well if you want to get ahead in the corporate world.  That is the game of corporations and, if you want to be in corporations, you are going to need to play.  The question is not whether you should play politics or not, but, rather, how well you play.

Corporate politics is a strategic game of chess.  Play it well and get ahead.  Play it poorly and get laid off or fired again.

I spend a great deal of my time in executive coaching teaching people the political game and how it is played.  Why?  It is probably the most important skill an executive can have.

3).  Network well. You should have been networking all the time you were employed, but you didn’t, did you?  Well, now you’re going to have to.  And if you want a job anytime soon, you’re going to have to have a large network and work it well.

Buy one.  Find someplace that (like us) has a very large, ready-made network, with a person or people who are willing to introduce you to members of the network and help you get employed.  Don’t be cheap on this, either.  Look into the background of anyone who claims to have a large network and see what it is.  Those who have been in business for 10 years or longer are the best people to look to for a network.  These take time to build, and a “newbie” isn’t going to have the network.

Build your own network, as well.  Although you won’t be able to, by yourself, build a large enough network to get employed rapidly, you should start on building your network now.  Get very active on LinkedIn.  Go to networking events.  Build on the ready-made network.  Get introduced to others through friends and colleagues.

Then keep networking when you’re employed! If you don’t know how to network, hire a coach.  This is another one of those essential skills that you must have and do exceptionally well in today’s world.

4).  Interview well. Once you get an interview don’t blow it! Remember, they’ll never tell you why you didn’t get the offer.  And, no, you’re not a good interviewer, no matter what you think.  And no, you didn’t “come in second.”  Besides, even if you were second, that doesn’t give you a job.  Again hire a coach! Get good at interviewing.

And this is not a perfunctory thing where you go through a couple of mock interviews and get critiqued.  Our interview training with our top clients takes between 20 and 100 hours, depending on how rapidly they learn, in addition to them watching 2 DVD discs on interviewing and being interviewed by their peers.  Interview training is one of the most important (and grueling) things I do as a transition coach.  That is for a reason.  It is vital to getting a job.  Duh.

5).  Turn networking meetings into interviews. Networking is useless unless it is turned into something eventually.  You aren’t just networking to meet people.  You are networking to get something, as well as give something.

Most networkers don’t go for the jugular.  Instead, they try to be “polite” and “nice.”  This doesn’t get you jobs.  See Nicole’s article on asking for things boldly.  Turn those networking meetings into jobs!

6).  Keep your commitments. If you say you’re going to meet with someone, meet with them.  You never know what a meeting will produce.  I try to meet with everyone who wants to meet with me.  If I can do this, as busy as I am, so can you.

And don’t balk at meeting with someone who is just starting out.  I’ve, over the years, met with hundreds of young people and given them advice and help.  Many of them, as they grew in their careers, gave back to me.  Besides, you have a moral obligation to help young people just starting out.  It is part of what you owe the community for allowing you to attain the position you’ve attained.

7).  Chill on your résumé. You have a one in 500 chance of getting hired based on your résumé, so chill about it.  Too many executives spend too much time on their damned résumés, and not enough networking and doing the things that will get them employed.

Don’t send a  résumé unless there is no other way to get to the hiring authority.  And, for heaven’s sake, don’t respond to those job postings on job boards unless there is no other way to get to the company.  You’re competing with a cast of thousands.

8).  Avoid HR like the plague. HR is your worst enemy!  Get to the person who can actually say “yes” to you.  See my previous article to see why you want to bypass HR. (Human Resources: An Execs Worst Enemy)

9).  Don’t take a vacation! It is just plain stupid to be out of town, taking a vacation, or playing with your kids or grandkids instead of looking for a job.  Looking for a job is a full time job.  Take it seriously!

10).  Help others.  Even though you are unemployed, you can still help others. Introduce people in your network to others who can help them.  Give a hand whenever you are able.  Pay it forward.  Don’t get so focused on your own need that you forget we are all part of a community, and have an obligation to give to one another.

Free Class for Job Seekers at Every Level, June 28

(Business/Professional, Technical, Management, and Executives)

For those in the CO front range who are still frustrated about your continued unemployment, please come to our class on June 28^th, Why Am I Still Unemployed? You will learn more tips and tricks for obtaining employment rapidly, and this will be a great opportunity to network with other job seekers, who actually know where the jobs are.

Visit  http://stillunemployed-ce.eventbrite.com to register.

1).  Where would you like to be in (three) years. “Gee, I’d like to be in the Bahamas wealthy and not listening to your idiotic questions,” would be my preferred response.  This is a really stupid interview question because nobody knows what they’re going to be doing in three years, and companies can’t guarantee them any stability, anyway.  Just say some platitudinous thing like, “Moving up in the company and making a difference,” or the like.

2).  If you were an animal, what kind of animal would you be? “I’d be a Great White Shark so I could have you for dinner,” is probably not the response that will get you a job.  This is an idiotic question because it tells the interviewer absolutely nothing of value.  Say that you’d be a wolf because wolves are loyal, good team players, but can work alone.

3).  Name for me three weaknesses. “Chocolate, blondes and good Scotch,” wouldn’t be accepted.  This is an absurd question because no one in their right mind is going to open themselves to an interviewer with their actual weaknesses.  Answering this is more complex.  Give an answer that is an actual weakness, but has nothing to do with your job, or something that is very obvious from your background and history, and then show why it isn’t so bad after all.

4).  How would you react if you were transformed into a fish? “I’d say, ‘Holy Cow!  I just got transformed into a fish!’”  This question is so stupid, I can’t believe it was asked.  The smart-aleck remark is probably also the correct answer to this question.

5).  What is your passion? I’m not even going to give the obnoxious response to this one because it wouldn’t be published.  This is a dumb question because everyone is going to name something in the business world to do with helping employees reach their potential or some such effluvium of a bovine creature.

6).  What salary are you expecting? I’d say “One million dollars!”  while putting my pinkie to my mouth like Dr. Evil.  Ok, look.  You know what the person was making.  You know what you can pay.  Forget the cute games and simply ask, “We pay a range of $x.00 – $y.00.  Is this a livable wage for you?”  Don’t pretend you care what the person wants because we all know you don’t.  You can pay what you can pay, and that’s it.  Offer it if the person is qualified, and see where it goes.

7).  How does your spouse feel about this job? “Well, she hates what I do for a living but loves the money I bring in.”  What the heck do you think the person is going to say?  Don’t waste time with these sorts of questions!

8).  Do you feel you need a work/life balance? “Absolutely not.  I love being chained to my desk while all my friends are having a life.”  Interviewers: Be open and honest if the job requires long, thankless hours for inadequate pay.  You’ll find someone to take it, anyway.  Interviewees: If asked this question, reply, “Well, I’m willing to do what it takes to do the job but, yes, I occasionally enjoy seeing the rest of the world that exists outside the office.”

9).  What is your favorite food? “Gee, personally I prefer chilled monkey brains, how about you?”  This is stupid because it wastes everyone’s time and tells you nothing.  If asked this idiot question, reply with some food that everyone likes, neither too plebian nor too exotic, and make up some reason why you like it that somehow relates to business.

10).  If you could be anyone else for a week, who would you be and why? “Bond.  James Bond.  Because I like to shoot people, blow things up and sleep with numerous loose and sexy women, of course.”  This is a ridiculous question because people are going to always give a very safe answer.  If asked this dog of a question, reply with some universally respected business character.

There are many useful interview questions that can give you a feel for how well the candidate will actually do on the job.  Don’t waste your time and theirs asking stupid questions.  It doesn’t make the interview “fun,” put the candidate at ease or any of the other dumb-ass reasons I’ve heard for asking them..  It simply gives the interviewer a sense of power to humiliate and control the candidate.  This is not a good way to start a business relationship.

If you want to see more interview questions answered, you’re in luck.  June 25^th, we are publishing the most comprehensive interview book on the market, with over 1,000 interview questions and answers, and dozens of questions for you to ask the employer (and what you can’t ask).  The book will sell for $49.95, but we’ll have pre-orders available for a very limited time at $29.95 AND we’ll throw in my audio CD John Heckers Answers Ten Killer Interview Questions, a $10 value.

Enter your e-mail address to receive notification on our pre-order release, and you’ll be sure to secure your copy at $29.95.  For a limited time only.

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Vice President & Executive Career Coach at Heckers Development Group, LTD.

The fear of social blundering (the fear of being perceived as too aggressive) has stopped many would be profitable relationships and deals from ever taking place.

Our reluctance to move negotiations forward to avoid blowing the next opportunity (the job offer) or asking for networking assistance can actually be a misstep.  This waffling behavior reflects to others a lack of personal initiative, confidence and commitment.  If you present in interviews and in networking settings as being reluctant and uneasy with promoting yourself, not only is it a turn-off, but no one will ever understand what you do, what you’re looking for or want to hire you.  Lately I’ve seen far too many executives being overly cautious around their job search, afraid to be pro-active if it could blow their chances for a job offer.  When performing negotiations for their companies, they don’t hesitate to close the deal.  Conversely, when the issue is around selling themselves or asking for help, they resist going for the jugular even when the right time is right.

Of course there are individuals who actually are too pushy.  Their display of unnecessary aggression only limits their career.  If you’ve been told that you have a tendency to come across in this manner, begin to pay attention to your audience and the person in front of you.  Watch carefully your interactions and how others respond to you.  It is likely you will be given several verbal and non-verbal signals alerting you to lay-off and take a more gentle approach.

However, if you fall into the overly cautious category, don’t be afraid to be blunt and ask for help, or better yet, ask for the job.  If you haven’t gotten at least one job interview within the first 2 months of your job search, you’re not networking enough or being assertive enough to elicit new contact names from your network.  You must be persuasive or you’ll be easily overlooked.  Maintain the confidence you had as an employed executive as you network to uncover job leads, ask for new contact names or encourage the key decision maker to make a hiring related decision.  You don’t have time to waste.  Neither do you have time to worry about rejection and people telling you “no”.

Don’t be afraid to express your interest in an opportunity and ask for what you want.  At coffee meetings, start off by asking others how you can help.  “In order to help you I need to know a little bit more about you.  Tell me about yourself and what you’re looking for.  This will help give me an idea of people you should be talking to.”  While you’re discussing their needs, figure out how you can assist them.  Ask if they would like to have info. about useful job boards or effective networking events.  As you talk, if you feel your contact is trustworthy enough to be given names of people in your network, offer one or two names of people who could be helpful.  At this point, you’ve done your job.  Now it’s time to turn the conversation to what you’re looking for.  “Well if you don’t mind, let me tell you about my career for the next few minutes…”  If your contact is not volunteering contact names, ideas or leads, ask specifically for what you need. The following statements are designed to help steer your contact in the right direction.

“Well who do you know that you think I should be talking to for help, advice or information?”

“Who do you know that might be a smart person to talk to?”

“Do you know anyone from your former employment whom you think it would be valuable to spend time with?”

“How about your former boss, would it make sense to talk to that person?”

“Have you seen anything on the job boards that might  be a good fit for me?”

If you show the right mix of confidence, assertiveness and trustworthiness, you’re not going to damage your chance at generating leads and contact names in networking settings.

Demonstrating a straightforward attitude will also increase your chances of getting the job offer once you’ve made it to the interviewing stage.  As a hiring authority, I’ve chosen candidates who had enough courage to ask for the job.  Note that I did not say I hire people who out of desperation ask for the job, or bug me everyday about the job so I will choose them.  But I DO hire people who believe they are the right person for the job and leave me with the impression that they belong at my company.

For a number of years I have sat on a board that awards scholarship opportunities to high-school students.  Given the generally high quality of the applications and applicants themselves, it can be quite difficult to come to a decision.  Kids who are awarded the scholarship find some way in which to stand out from their peers.  The last student we gave the award to had an excellent application, but she also did something no other applicant did.  She asked to be chosen and told us how much this scholarship would mean if awarded to her.  Her genuine request struck a chord in me.  From that point forward as I was in the process of ranking all of the applications, I started to seriously consider her as the frontrunner.  The final decision was not mine alone to make.  As the votes were tallied, other members of the panel also selected this young woman as their top candidate, giving her enough votes to be our next 2010 recipient.

So if you’re gutsy and/or you have nothing to lose, be bold.  If you’re given some indication that you’re wanted on-board but there has been a delay in the decision making process, ask, “What can I do to expedite this?”  If you’ve met the hiring authority and want the available position, ask, “What is our next step because I’d like to come work for you.”  If told there is no open position, respond with, “Well I think you should make an opening.”  For this to work, you must truly believe you are worth making an opening for.  Being up front and asking for what you want will not only earn you respect, but it is likely to help you earn that next paycheck.

If you enjoy these articles, subscribe to our newsletter.  You’ll get a free ebook discussing the 10 Reasons Executives Fail to Find Jobs Rapidly, and honest, down to earth analysis of career issues.  You may also download our free executive report on finding employment here.

We promise not to deluge you with cheesy sales emails!

LinkedIn is the most important social networking site for executives and professionals to work with.  Those who are not connected are not connected to jobs, resources, great employees, or inside information.

But how do you optimize your LinkedIn contacts?  Here are a few tips.

1).  Make your profile public.

And put on your profile that you accept all invitations, and never say you don’t know someone.  “IDKing” someone is the quickest way to kill your opportunities on LinkedIn.

2).  Post a photo and do it now.

Profiles without photos are suspect.  Don’t you think more positively about a potential connection with a photo?  So why wouldn’t others think more positively of you if you have photo?

Don’t put up some photo where your face can’t be discerned.  No cats, dogs, birds, snakes, husbands or other animals (sorry, guys, couldn’t resist!).  Just a nice headshot of yourself alone, dressed in business-professional attire.

3).  Invite fellow group members…carefully.

Most members will allow other members to send them messages without being connected.  Before you invite a fellow group member, ask if that person would accept an invite from you.  95% of the people I’ve done this with have responded graciously with a “yes.”

If they’re one of those paranoid people who will not let other group members send them messages, you don’t want to connect with them anyway.  Unfortunately, LinkedIn doesn’t let you know this until you try to send them a message.

4).  Make it easy to send you a message.

Put your email address in your profile.  You can’t put it in your name — one of LinkedIn’s many draconian and anti-networking rules doesn’t allow it, and they might close your account for this terrible sin.

5).  Join all the groups that are relevant to you.

You can join up to 50 groups.  Make sure you are a member of at least 30, and more is better.  Then, take a little time each day to reply to some posts and see who is posting.

Most people posting will accept an invite from you to link.  This is a great way to build your connections.

6).  Post often.

Especially post on groups that are in your field.  Get to be known as someone who is stable and has good ideas within the LinkedIn Groups.  Don’t get too controversial unless, like me, part of your trademark is “controversial.”

7).  Answer questions.

Give detailed and lengthy answers with good information to questions.  I’ve answered about 10 questions and have gotten voted “Best Answer” three times…a great ratio.  When you get voted “Best Answer” LinkedIn designates you as an “expert” in that area.  The more questions you answer, the better your chances of gaining an expert designation in your field and others.

Link with the person who asked the question you’re answering.  Always take the time to send that person a personal note offering more aid and giving your email address and phone number. Most people will gratefully respond, at least with a “thank you.”

8).  Ask people at networking events if you can invite them. In your networking you will meet many people.  If you have their business card, you have an email address on them.  Write them and ask for permission to invite them on LinkedIn.

9).  Personalize all invites. Never just use the curt invitation that LinkedIn gives you.  Send a short (LinkedIn won’t let you send long) but personalized invitation to those with whom you wish to link.  Remind them how you know them, and, most importantly, say the following at the end of each invite: “If you do not wish to accept, please just archive.  Please do not say you don’t know me.  Thank you.”

10).  Pass on all intro requests.  Part of being a good LinkedIn citizen is to give back.  Pass on any requests that your network sends you to introduce them to another member of your network.  Doing so builds trust and credibility.

11).  Recommend people. I tell my clients to sit down and recommend everyone they are able to recommend.  This includes:  current and previous employees, peers and superiors; any vendors or servicepeople; friends whose work you have seen, and so on.

12).  Refuse to recommend anyone whose work you have not seen. LinkedIn is a business networking site.  Only recommend those whose work you know and have personally seen.  Being dishonest does not enhance your LinkedIn status…or your reputation.

13).  Ask all who have seen your work for recommendations. If you recommend someone, LinkedIn does this for you.  They’ll say to the person you recommended “Now return the favor.”  Giving recommendations is the quickest way to get recommendations.

14).  Put your LinkedIn profile address on your business card. And personalize your LinkedIn profile address.  LinkedIn will even walk you through doing so if you go to “edit profile.”

15).  Personalize the links listed on LinkedIn to your company or personal website. Again, LinkedIn will allow you to do this and will walk you through the process online.

Expect to spend about an hour an day on LinkedIn if you want to truly grow your connections and become a powerful networker.

We also recommend you buy Mike O’Neil’s and Lori Ruff’s book Rock the World With Your On-Line Presence, available at www.integratedalliances.com.

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“It’s all great fun until someone pokes an eye out.” My mother (and I’ll bet, yours too).

I do not often write on this blog on subjects that are not related to employment in some way or another.  But it is time that I, and many others, speak out loudly on an urgent matter.

The rhetoric of our political system has gotten out of hand.  There are Facebook pages with prayers for the death of the President.  There is hate speech on both sides of the red/blue divide in our country.  There has been violence against both Republicans and Democrats.

We are not red states.  We are not blue states.  We are the United States of America, and such hateful protests, hate speech and violence are un-American.  We solve our problems at the ballot box, not with violence.  We must speak up now against the extremists on both sides who are leading us into civil war or, at the very least, civil insurrection.

There are two groups who have the most to lose from civil insurrection or war.  The first group is the very group that is currently shouting the loudest….the white, upper-middle class, upper-middle aged people of this country.  While many of these people have never paid much attention to history, if they had, history would tell them that they are usually the people targeted in any civil insurrection.  Some people are calling for armed revolution.  This is one of those “be careful what you ask for…” issues.  Those who wish for armed revolution might just get it.  But remember revolutions, once started, are very hard to control.

The other group that will suffer is the group that always suffers.  That would be the poor and destitute.  With civil insurrection there would be an ending of the subsistence services upon which these people depend to survive.  No more food banks or shelters.  No more paid medical services for those who cannot afford medical services.  And history tells us what happens here, too.

Do people really want a revolution?

The poor revolting?  The unemployed revolting?  Those whose homes have been foreclosed on revolting?   Don’t say “it can’t happen here.”  It almost did in the Great Depression.  It did actually happen with the riots of the late 1960’s.  And it could happen again…any day.  Both sides are speaking the word “revolution.”  Do they really want that disaster to strike our nation?

The hate speech against President Obama concerns me, as well.  This kind of hate speech against a President is unprecedented.  President Obama gets 5 times the death threats that President (George W.) Bush got.  But, regardless of what you think of the man, his politics or his policies, think, for a moment.  What will happen if our President is even the target of an attempt to assassinate him, much less a successful one?  Will the millions who took to the streets to celebrate his election take an assassination lying down?

I don’t care if you’re Republican, Democrat, Libertarian, Socialist, Tory or Whig.  This hate speech and over-heated rhetoric must end and end now before someone gets hurt and hurt badly.

And we, as executives, have the power to make that happen…and happen now.  Regardless of your party or sentiments, you and I are among the most influential people on the face of this planet right now.  There are many things we can do.  Here is a list of them.

1).  Write your Senators and Representatives of any party and tell them to chill the rhetoric coming out of D.C. Tell them that you expect bipartisanship or, at the very least, civility.

2).  Do not give one red cent (or, if you’re Democrat, one blue cent, either) to any candidate that is engaging in over-heated rhetoric. This is where these people live and breathe.  And they count on people like us to give them campaign contributions.  Tell them that, unless they begin to comport themselves as members of a democratic republic that you will not support them.  Then don’t.

3). Speak up! Write a blog post like this and/or a letter to the editor demanding civility and an end to the polemic and rhetoric on both sides.

4).  Refuse to vote for any individual who is inciting fear, violence or hate. We don’t need fear mongers of either party in Washington right now.  Don’t let the fear and hate mongers overtake your heart or your brain.  As FDR said (sort of), “We have nothing to fear but fear itself.”  We need people of optimism, hard work, and cooperation in Congress, and we need them now.

5).  Pray. Pray, meditate, vision — whatever it is that you do — for the United States of America. The USA, like any other nation, has many faults and has made many mistakes.  But, in the end, the ideals of this country are the greatest ideals of any nation on the planet — no matter how many times we violate them.  Pray that our great nation will come out of this period of strife and darkness into a time of light and peace.

And pray for the President of the United States.  It doesn’t matter whether you voted for him or not.  He is still your President.  And we have an obligation to pray for him and his safety, and that of his young family.

Whatever side you’re on, this discord is not good for you, me or anyone else.  It is not good for anyone’s business except that of the extremists on both sides.    The hotheads are tearing our nation apart with their polarization.  I have my own strong political opinions.  And I express them in writing, in speech and in debate.  But not with hate.  And not with violence or threats of violence.

Most of the people we have sent to our Congress and have elected to other offices are good people trying to do a very difficult job, whether we like their politics or not.  Remember that they are people with families, spouses, friends, and loved ones, just like you and me, regardless of which side of the aisle they sit on.

Let’s remember that we’re the United States of America and that we solve our problems with civil and respectful debate, and our votes.  Let’s remember it now before it gets out of hand.

God bless the United States of America….and everywhere else.

John Heckers, MA, CPC, BCPC

I know that this is a controversial stand and it may well cost me some potential clients.  I accept that.  Sometimes we must take a moral stand, regardless of the consequences.  And it is morally wrong to permit discrimination against anyone, regardless of whether that is because of race, spiritual choices, marital choices, age, gender or sexual orientation.

Employers have absolutely no business in people’s bedrooms.  Nor should they have a right to tell employees what their sexual orientation should be.  Gay and lesbian employment protection is a simple civil right that must be accorded to these law-abiding, contributing citizens.  It is morally wrong not to do so.

Being gay, lesbian or trans-gendered does not effect the work of these folks in any different way than being married or in a straight relationship does.  Many of these folks are working with you right now.  You might not be aware of it due to the unreasoned bigotry against gays, lesbians and trans-gendered people in our society.  They often have to hide their sexual orientation to avoid this bigotry from destroying their lives.  This means, in a very real way, denying the person they love most in their lives.

There are many things that are very right about America and our workplace.  Discrimination against anyone is not one of them.

The only questions that should be asked about employment have to do with the ability to do one’s job.  There are no other relevant issues that employers should be permitted to consider, whether that is race, color, spirituality, gender, pregnancy, age, smoking, size, nationality, sexual activities, configuration of genitals, or sexual orientation.  These are things that do not effect the ability of people to do their jobs in any way.

It is only bigotry and fear of someone “different” that allow for gay, lesbian and trans-gendered people to be fired, demoted, or refused promotion based on their sexual orientation.  There is no logical or rational reason why anyone should fear these folks, any more than one should fear someone, like me, in an interracial marriage, or in a non-marital sexual relationship.  It is simply wrong.

I am very proud of my daughter’s generation (she is 24).  The Millenials, even those few who are conservative, see discrimination against gays and lesbians (and trans-gendered persons) for the absurdity it is.  They are almost universally for recognizing full civil rights for these folks, including the right to work without harassment, and the right to marry.  They will, rightly, look on our bigotries the same way as we look on the discrimination against Blacks that our bigoted parents had (and many still have).  They will look on us as very narrow and very wrong.

It is we older folks who still have the old bigotries we grew up with locked in our heads that are obstructionist.

But those who live with being gay, lesbian or trans-gendered everyday, just as we live with our straight sexuality every day, cannot wait for us old fogies to die off before being accorded simple civil rights that should be guaranteed to every American.

Please write, email or call your Senators and Representative and indicate that you want simple civil rights for all Americans.  Ask them to vote “yes” on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act.

The opinions expressed are those of John Heckers alone, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Heckers Development Group, LTD, or other organizations with which John Heckers is affiliated.

It turns out that, not only is this old bromide not accurate, it may be just the opposite. In two recent studies (one of which is abstracted on the net, the other one is not) by the University of Liege and by a Japanese researcher Kanazawa (read the Liege abstract) night owls are actually better able to handle a day than the “larks,” who are up at the crack of dawn each morning.  And according to Kanazawa’s study, they are, generally speaking, people of higher intelligence than the “morning people.”  Both studies also showed that night owls tend to get more work done, and resist the pressure to sleep better than the larks.

But morning people still have an advantage in the business world.  The simple fact is that the business world tends to have a superstitious belief that there is virtue in being an early riser and that we night people are somehow a bit sinister, lazy, or morally deficient.

Part of this belief probably comes from our agrarian roots.  There is a real evolutionary advantage to getting up with the sun (or slightly before it) and working in the fields.  Now that most of us don’t work in the fields where we are dependent on the light of the sun to get things done, this advantage has vanished, and is only supported by societal belief.  In other words, there is no logical reason why business days must start at 7 AM rather than at 10 AM and end at 5 PM rather than 8 PM.  It is simply a tradition that forces people who do not function well in the morning to interact…often to their detriment.

This is something business should rethink.  Why?  Well, first of all there are a higher percentage of people who are night owls (20%) now than larks (10%), and a large percentage of people who can do either (70%).

Evolution is against the larks, however.  Kanazawa points out in the March 2010 issue of Social Psychology Quarterly (a peer reviewed academic journal) that, the more intelligent one is, the more one will adopt “evolutionarily novel” behaviors.  In other words, those with higher intelligence are more likely to adopt behaviors that lead the human race forward in evolution rather than doing it the way it has been done for centuries or eons.  So the people who moved from hunting and gathering into agriculture were, at one time, radical innovators, probably scorned by their communities.

This is the way evolution, both genetic and sociological, operates.  Those initially performing evolutionarily novel behaviors are scorned by the conservative society that is doing things the way they have always been done.  Sooner or later, as various behaviors become clearly superior, they become “the way we’ve always done it,” and the old, conservative standard is seen as antiquated or even barbaric.  Most of what we believe and do today will be seen as quaint, antiquated, or barbaric by our great grand children.

There are signs that the business world is changing in this arena, too.  Many smaller businesses have adopted much more flexible hours.  More and more small businesspeople are, themselves, night owls.  This correlates well with the fact that more intelligent people have a slight tendency toward being night owls rather than larks.  More intelligent people also are more likely to be entrepreneurs or independent professionals, rather than company people.

And this trend is increasing.  The current recession is forcing more and more corporate executives and corporate workers into finding alternative ways of producing an income.  For most of these folks, depending on friends and family or the government is simply not an option.

So the pressure of the recession is creating tens of thousands of new small businesses.

And this is a very good thing.  Small business accounts for the vast bulk of the GDP, is more environmentally friendly, and can better respond to the many changes that are occurring in society than the behemoth corporations.  These new businesses are being run by people who know how to pressure the government to make laws advantageous to small business, as is actually happening now.  The sheer number of small businesspeople who are turning activist can and will counteract the negative influence of large, hidebound corporations with their large dollar contributions.

Here’s another reality.  Younger people are much more likely to be night owls, and do not function, as a whole, well in the morning.  As we get older, we tend to fall more into the circadian rhythm of getting up with the sun and going to bed with the sun.  This is why really elderly people eat dinner at 4 PM and why assisted living centers aren’t much fun after 8 PM.

But the Boomers are retiring.  Younger people are going to be filling positions in droves.  And they are not as willing as we were to conform their body rhythms to the slavery of “the company.”  They’ll simply leave and find other jobs that aren’t requiring them to get up at 0 dark thirty.

So…night owls of the world — it’s our time to fly!  Contrary to old Ben, we’re brighter, we get more work done (and, thus, will be wealthier) and have more time in the day to hit the gym or do recreational sports…and will, therefore, be healthier!
And businesses of the world — wake up and smell the cappuccino!  Having workers come in late and work later will result in increased productivity and maybe even eliminate that 2 PM doldrums that most offices experience.

Contact John Heckers directly at 720.581.4301 or at jheckers@heckersdevgroup.com.

When there is a recession, especially with the high unemployment of this one, the cockroaches come out of the woodwork to prey on unsuspecting people with promises of quick placement and fantastic salary increases.  When asked to deliver, they cannot and do not.  Then you read your contract and see that it is pretty vague on what the “coach” will do for you.  In fact, if you read the language, you find that he or she has really promised nothing.  When you ask for at least some of your money back, the coach points out that you have signed satisfaction forms, and that their work is done.  They tell you that it was ALWAYS clear that they weren’t going to do much for you.  You’re out thousands or tens of thousands of dollars for nothing.

As an Executive Transition Coach myself, I want to help you avoid (and report) the slime.  Here are some tips for you.

1).  Read the contract.  We spell out, in excruciating detail, everything we’re going to do and what the client is required to do.  Any coach that has a vague contract is either careless or a con artist.  Ask for EXACTLY what you’re going to get IN WRITING.  Don’t believe verbal promises.  A good and honest coach will be happy to put it in writing.  If they aren’t…run.

2).  Try to only give half of your money up front.  I’ve always thought that most coaches require a great leap of faith in asking for all of their money up front.  We only ask for half for a very good reason.  Then everybody has “skin in the game.”  While this isn’t the policy of most coaching firms, many will make the deal to take 50% up front and 50% a couple of months after employment.  In my opinion, this should be industry standard.

3).  Don’t believe promises like “we do the work, you get the job.”  Finding a job is the hardest job you’ll ever have.  This is why so many people are such easy prey.  People go to headhunters to do the work, and pay thousands of dollars on the hope someone will do it for them.  They won’t.  YOU must find your own job.  A good coach with a great network can help you meet people and eliminate the stupid mistakes that every job seeker makes.  But get you a job?  No.

4).  Don’t believe claims of “exclusive networks.”  There aren’t any.  There are good networks, broad networks, and so on.  But there are no exclusive networks, no exclusive databases, and no secret list of job openings.  A good coach know enough people to help you meet people who can introduce you to hiring authorities of companies that are flying under the radar.  But they don’t have “exclusive contacts,” or exclusive anything else.  Others have at least some access to everything they do.

5).  Don’t believe claims of “reverse headhunting.”  Reverse headhunting is when someone calls companies to market you.   This is very time consuming.  If you’re paying less than 1/3^rd your annual salary, with no guarantee of success, it is hooey, and you should walk.  They simply can’t afford to do it, although a well-connected coach will often make a FEW calls for you.

6).  Check the coach out thoroughly.  Don’t call the BBB.  They can be bought, and often are.  Some of the biggest scam firms who have been CLOSED DOWN by the attorneys general of several states often had great BBB ratings.  I’d like to give examples, but I don’t relish lawsuits.  Check the coach out on Google and with people that have done business with the coach.  But be reasonable.  Everyone has a few people who are dissatisfied, especially if the coach has been in business a long time.  If they’ve been in business a very long time (I’ve been dealing with people’s careers for about 30 years) with the same or a very similar company name…they’re probably OK, and also probably have a couple of negative Nellie customers.  Look for the bulk of what is said.

7).  DO NOT go out of the state you want to live in!  If you want to move, for example, to Denver, call a qualified coach in Denver.  If you want to go to Seattle, call one in Seattle.  But if, for some unfathomable reason, you want to stay in Los Angeles, go to a coach in LA, not Denver.  Most coaches are only connected in their home town.  Very few people, regardless of what they say, have a “national network.”  It is very difficult, and those few who actually do have a national network are very, very expensive or lying to you about how deep it is.

See my article on why you shouldn’t conduct a national job search at www.ceojobexpert.com for more info on this.

These are all the tips I have room for.  Please feel free to email me at jheckers@heckersdevgroup.com with any questions, or go to my website at www.heckersdev.com for more free advice in my “articles” section.  Good luck, and beware of wolves in sheep’s clothing!

In their panic and fear, many executives start to conduct a “national search.”  While this may sometimes yield a position, unless you are the top CEO level, it doesn’t make sense, especially if you want to stay in the town you currently reside.

A national search does not make sense for many reasons.  Here are a few of them.

1).  You’re competing with local candidates who don’t need to be flown in for interviews. Unless you personally know the hiring authority, your chances of actually getting the job are much slimmer than for a local candidate.  And there are plenty of local candidates now for almost any position.  The only time it makes sense to compete with local candidates is if you are in a very highly specialized field, in which case you probably already know the companies in that field.  Otherwise, you’re just another candidate that they have to spend extra money to bring in and relocate.

2).  A national search diffuses your energy. Search one town at a time.  If you want to come to Denver, come to Denver.  Get networked in Denver.  But concentrate on Denver.  If that doesn’t pan out, pick another town, like Phoenix.  Go to Phoenix for a couple months and concentrate there.  Otherwise you’re simply diffusing your energy and running around like a chicken with its head cut off.

3).  The competition is enormous. OK, realistically, how are you going to find a job opportunity outside of your town?  You’re going to see it posted, get it through a headhunter, see it on LinkedIn, or see it on a job board, right?  Well, if you can see this job, so can the 5,942,853 other executives in the U.S. that are searching for jobs.  And going through a headhunter attaches a massive fee to the costs of hiring you.  Flying you in for interviews adds to the cost.  Relo adds to your cost.  Hey!  You’re getting awfully pricey here!  And you are up against many other candidates.

4).  There are probably plenty of jobs in your hometown. Most executive jobs are found through networking.  If you find one out of town through networking — great.  But you’re much more likely to be networked where you currently live.  And there are probably great jobs waiting for you right at home.  Remember Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz who said “If I go looking for my heart’s desire, I don’t have to go any further than my own backyard,” or something like that.

5).  Your spouse and kids might kill you in your sleep. Few couples are single wage-earner couples.  Long distance relationships don’t work.  Commuting rarely works.  Look at home first, before you pull your kids out of their school and away from their friends (have you ever seen a daughter do a really good eye-roll and chin-quiver?), and your spouse away from his or her job.  In my years of working with executives, I have seen dozens of divorces that started with someone staying in the hometown and the other person taking an out-of-town job.  I know you want to have a good job, but your marriage is vital, too.

6).  Moving rarely works out in the long term.  If you’re settled someplace, you may think that it is OK to relocate.  But I’ve seen many executives move back to their hometowns after a while in another city.  One of my clients even moved to Wichita, Kansas, which, to me, is place where you get exiled for being a bad boy or girl.  But he actually wanted Wichita.  No accounting for taste, I guess.  But, really, there is no place like home.  Click your ruby slippers now.

7).  You will lose any network you have in place. Do you really want to start building a network again?  What happens if this doesn’t work out?  You’re thousands of miles from your network and no one in the new town knows you.  Bad news.

8).  Your house is going to sit on the market for years. Do you know how long it takes to move an executive-level home these days?  Years!  And being saddled with two mortgages is no joke, if you can even get a mortgage these days on a new residence while you still are paying on your old one.  Rent it out, you say?  Yeah….you and 9.000 other homeowners in your development.  And have you ever seen what a bad renter can do to a home?  Finding a renter that is responsible and will treat your home like his or her home is a rather large challenge and takes time you don’t have right now.

The reality is:  Don’t move unless there is no other choice, especially not in this economy.  Look at home first, then look elsewhere.  Give it a few months in your hometown.

Of course, if someone you know and trust recruits you and you want to go to the new town — go!  Just make sure your family is completely on board and that your move isn’t going to cause major disruption in everyone’s life.

If you are having a hard time in your hometown finding the networked jobs, it is because your network stinks.  Hire a qualified Executive Transition Coach who has a ready-made network and can help you get connected, interview well (and don’t tell me that you’re a good interviewer…everyone thinks that and nobody is….), and get the best deal for yourself at the new position.  This is how the top folks do it.

Good luck on your executive job search.  As always, if I can answer any questions, please contact me at jheckers@heckersdevgroup.com.  I will try to respond within 48 hours to my loyal readers.

Unfortunately, the scam artists are being drawn like flies to honey to the millions of job seekers who are desperate for help in today’s rocky economy.  At Heckers Development Group, LTD, we want you to know how to avoid the con artists and, if appropriate, find honest, skilled and ethical career professionals.

I’ve been helping people with their careers since 1980.  In that time I’ve seen many different kinds of career services come and go.  In most states, there is no licensure or oversight of career services.  Even in the states where there is some oversight, it is often lax and inconsistent.  This is one of the areas where the buyer must deeply beware.

If you’re job hunting now, you’re in a vulnerable position.  Your income has slowed or stopped, and yet you may feel lost.  Many of my clients have never had to actually search for a job before.  The jobs have found them.  But the current economy has many people floundering and frustrated in their job searches.

Here are some tips on what to avoid and what to look for in a good Transition Coach.

1).  Nobody can guarantee you a job. If a career service guarantees you a job, they are lying.  No one, not even with years of experience, can predict who will get employed and who won’t.  Do not pay anyone who promises to find you a job…they are lying to you!

An honest Transition Coach will tell you this right up front.  They will then spell out in their contract exactly what both sides can expect.

2).  No one is going to “reverse headhunt” for you, unless they are charging a very high price.  “Reverse headhunting” means that the career service promises to market you to companies until he or she finds an opening for you.  These people are also lying, unless they’re charging between one-third and one-half of your annual salary.  This is incredibly time consuming.  What they’re probably going to do (which is both ineffective, and you can do yourself for a lot less money) is send your résumé or bio to a standard list of companies and hope that the personnel person in one of them picks you up.

Job hunting is exhausting.  But it is a fantasy that scam artists play on to have someone do the work for you.  There used to be a company that claimed that they did the work, and you got the job.  While they might still be in business, they’ve stopped using that line.  It just is not true.  Even with expert help, you’re going to have to work very hard to get a job.  It is the hardest job you’ll ever have, and probably one of the most frustrating.

3).  No one has a “secret database.” Some companies claim to have a “secret database.”  While many of us have a good network, no one actually has a “secre4t database.”  The information that many companies want to sell you is available in your public library…which you’ve already paid for with your taxes.  If someone claims to have a “secret database,” run, don’t walk, for the exit.

However, a good Transition Coach will have a very good network in his or her town.

4).  But no one has an “exclusive network.” Ditto the above for “exclusive networks.”  In one sense, everyone’s network is “exclusive,” in that it includes a different set of people than others have in their networks.  What you want is not an “exclusive network,” but an extensive one where people are working together to help one another.  This can be provided.  But “exclusive?”  No.

5).  Don’t fall for out-of-town companies. Look.  In order to have a truly helpful network, someone has to be in and know a town inside and out.  This isn’t going to happen with chains or with companies that are out of town.  Hiring an out-of-town career service (unless you are moving to the town where the service is located) is like hiring an out-of-town family doctor.  They aren’t going to be there when you need them.  Do not hire a company that does not have an “on the ground” presence in the town where you want to reside.  And forget national searches.  They don’t work, even for top executives.  There are reasons for that beyond the scope of this article, but see my article on this at www.ceojobexpert.com.   Normally, there are plenty of jobs in your own town.  You just need someone who can help you find them.  This isn’t going to happen with an out-of-town company…including ours.

This, of course, is not applicable for executive or career coaching that doesn’t involve transition.  National or international career or executive coaches can be quite helpful to people who are employed and wish to dramatically improve their skills, strategies, and so on.  Ditto with career counselors.  I’m specifically talking about Transition Coaches.  We do both Executive Coaching and Transition Coaching.  We do Executive Coaching internationally.  But we only do Transition Coaching for the Colorado Front Range/Denver Metro area.  This is because a good Transition Coach is only effective in his or her hometown.

6).  Check their credentials. Most states, as I said above, don’t require licensure of career services.  This means that an administrative assistant or custodian, for that matter, can hang out his or her shingle perfectly legally as a career coach.

Good career coaches are highly experienced and credentialed in some way.  But even if someone has had years in the business world as an executive, that doesn’t make them a good or even competent career coach.  And beware people who have been through some kind of “coaching university” or the like, and claim to be “certified.”  There is no nationally recognized certification for career coaches that really means anything.

If you need a career coach you want to look for someone who has been around for a while in the town you are trying to work in.  Good career coaches work with networks and companies, not to place you like a headhunter, but to help you place yourself.  Good career coaches guide you on your career path.  Good career coaches teach you how to interview well, network well, and get the job.  This isn’t going to be done by someone who is wet behind the ears as a coach.  Look for someone who is experienced and can prove it.

7).  Beware of cheap services! The old saying that you get what you pay for is very true in career coaching.  A good career coach will cost between three weeks and six weeks worth of salary…and they’re worth every penny.  If they are charging less than that, they are either scam artists, inexperienced, or they’re taking too many clients.  A good career coach will make about as much as, or more than, his or her clientele.  If they don’t, how can they be expected to move in the circles necessary to help you out?  This means that they will charge a fee commensurate with their skill and experience.  Don’t be cheap!  If you are a price buyer, you’re going to be making an expensive mistake.

8).  Ask how many people they take at a time. Our firm only takes 15 Transition Clients at a time.  Why?  Because a good career coach spends a great deal of time with his or her clients, and 15 is about the limit that the two of us can handle.  Don’t hire a coaching firm that handles more than 10 people per coach at a time.  You won’t get the time you need.  (Nicole and I have an average of 7.5 people each, therefore.)  Our program, being geared towards executives, is a bit more intense than at the non-executive level, but a good coach will put in many hours on his or her clients.  Why?  Because it is necessary.  If you’re paying about a month’s salary, that person had better be pretty accessible to you.

9).  Get it in writing! We have a very long contract because we spell out everything that the client needs to do and everything we will do, and in excruciating detail.  Beware of companies that make vague promises or promise you the moon.  What is in writing is what is enforceable.  Don’t sign up with folks who don’t spell out completely what they will do for you.  It may be a bit intimidating to get a 10 page contract with attachments and addendums….but it is the sign of a good career coach.

10).  If possible, share the risk. We charge only 50% of our fee up front.  This gives everyone “skin in the game.”  This is not the usual practice for career coaches, however.  Try to get some idea of what stake the coach has in your success.  With us, it is obvious.  With firms that take all of their money up front, it isn’t quite as obvious or clear.

11).  Beware of Sales Snakes! So a silver haired, silver-tongued executive sees you in an office that has marble on the floor and hot and cold running admins.  His suit costs more than your car, and his fingernails are manicured.  Beware!

Find out exactly whom, at a career services firm, will be handling your case.  Nicole and I handle all cases jointly.  Our VP of Technology does the hands-on social media training.  No admins.  No “farming out.”  Too many career services will have the senior person sell the program, then stick you with someone as your “consultant” who has just been hired…fresh out of college.  Make sure you know who will be handling your case and what credentials they have to do so. This is vital.  If the only people who see the silver-haired devil are top Fortune 100 CEOs…run.  A neophyte isn’t going to give you your money’s worth.

Many times the silver-haired devil is only the salesperson or spokesperson.  Ask this individual if he or she handles cases on his or her own, or if he or she is simply a salesperson.  Do not engage a firm where salespeople sell you the service.  You’ll be sorry if you do!

12).  Don’t be impressed with “status” offices. Marble on the floor and hot and cold running administrative assistants, with cherry wood desks and $5,000.00 suits cost money — money you are paying for appearance rather than substance.  Some of the best scam artists rent high priced office space, and some of the best career coaches either work from their homes or executive suites.  Do not be impressed by appearances, nor “put off” by a coach that does not have a fancy office.  It really is all about the coach’s reputation and their involvement with you, not about how fancy their office, car or suit is.  If you’re looking at appearances rather than substance, you probably deserve to be scammed.  Look at the substance and the track record, not the fancy offices or other flashy additions.

13).  Ask about their average time to landing.  No one has a 100% success rate or satisfaction rate.  If they tell you they do, they’re lying to you and you should simply get up and leave.  What you want to know is what the averages are for your position, both with and without the help of a coach.  A good coach can cut weeks or months off of an average search.  But none of us bat a thousand.  Ask about the failures as well as the successes.  Ask why those who exceeded the average exceeded it.  Find out the circumstances.

An honest coach is going to share this with you.  A dishonest one will claim that he or she hasn’t had any failures.  This is just absurd.  No one gets along with everyone who is a client.  No one has 100% of their clients follow their advice (and the higher up the career hierarchy you go, the less they’ll follow the coach’s advice!).  All of us who are competent have had to kick a couple of people out of our programs.  Find out about these times, and what is done about them, up front.

14).  Check them out for yourself. I invite people to Google me, talk to my past and present clients, and come to a couple of events.  In fact, I won’t sign them up until they do.  Why?  I’m very proud of our reputation, that’s why.  I have nothing to fear from people doing their due diligence on me.  And I’m incredibly easy to check out.

If you can’t find lots of info on a coach or a firm, don’t go with them.  Good coaches are easy to check out, and have a generally good reputation.

But no one pleases everyone all the time….especially in this field.  Expect to hear a couple of disgruntled clients if you’re doing your due diligence.  You can learn as much from the disgruntled ones as the satisfied clients.  Did they have unreasonable expectations?  Did they follow the program?  Were they coachable?  Then, naming the disgruntled clients, ask the coach for his or her side of the story.  While no ethical coach will tell you a great deal about his or her clients, they can usually provide some insight as to why people succeed and why they fail in their programs.  Check it out.

15).  Don’t have unreasonable expectations. Find out what to expect before you sign up.  There are many different types of career service.  Some concentrate on networking, others on résumés, and still others on technology.  Find out what each firm offers, and what reasonable expectations are.  We have a pamphlet that we include with each packet which describes what is reasonable to expect from us and what is unreasonable.  I’m sure it has turned some folks with unreasonable expectations away.  That is its function.

16).  Finally, look for someone you have a “click” with.  We turn away about three times the people we accept into our practice.  We usually refer them to other coaches.  You and your coach have to like one another, trust one another, and have a good “click” with one another.  If not, it is a waste of time and money.

But don’t expect your coach to be “nice.”  A good coach will challenge you, be blunt with you, and push you in ways you won’t much like.  If the coach is simply a cheerleader for you, he or she is not doing his or her job…which is to actually coach you.   Cheerleaders are a dime a dozen.  Good coaches that challenge you are harder to find.

We hope that this lengthy article has been helpful to you in avoiding the scam artists out there.  If you are an executive at the Director Level, VP Level or “C” :Level on the corporate ladder, and are looking for an Executive Transition Coach along the Colorado Front Range, we are happy to give you a free one hour consultation.  Please feel free to call us at 303.480.5484 to set up your consult.  Also, feel free to write me personally at jheckers@heckersdevgroup.com, with any questions you may have.  I try to respond to each email I receive within 24 hours.

Good luck on your search!

There is a desperate problem throughout America right now.  The food banks of America have very empty shelves.  Millions of people are currently without jobs thanks to the economy.  Many have run out of resources, including money to buy food, pay rent or the mortgage, or provide electricity and heat for their homes.

Executives are, in some ways, hit the hardest, as fully 1/3^rd of America’s Executives are without work.  This has dire consequences on our economy, but it also “filters down.”  As executives stop buying products, those who make and sell the products are without employment.

While executives are being hard hit percentage wise, most of us have some resources to survive for a time without income.  This is not true of the millions of people who are at lower levels.  The single mom or dad without employment, working at a retail store, is simply without food for his or her children.  The very people you supervised are now suffering as a result of the economy and the collapse of many companies.  Entrepreneurs are also suffering, with a record number unable to meet payroll or keep employees.

While the government (and who believes them anymore????) says that things are turning around, the real unemployment figures — those the government never releases — belie their words.  True unemployment and severe underemployment is approaching 30% as of Monday.  Many of these people are dependent on the food banks just to afford to eat even a subsistence diet.

We can help.  Please go through your pantry and find good, hearty, entrée type canned and non-perishable food to give to the food banks.  If in Denver, give to Food Bank of the Rockies or the Salvation Army.  Don’t give them canned green beans or, heaven help us, creamed corn.  Give things like canned hams, canned tuna fish, canned sandwich spread, Spaghetti-Os, Stokes Chile, and so on….things that you can feed a family with.  They have enough cheap canned vegetables.  They need food that people need.  (I know that Spaghetti-Os are not truly GOOD food, but they do feed a hungry kid, and it’s something that kids will mostly eat.)

Below, please find a partial list of some of the things that food banks love to get.  Nicole and I used to run a small food bank, so we know.

• Peanut butter
• Spaghetti-Os or other similar canned pasta entreés.
• Canned meats that can be kept, as long as unopened, unrefrigerated.
• Canned Beef Stew and the like.
• Hearty canned soups.
• Non-perishable snack foods, such as peanut butter crackers, cheese crackers, etc.
• Boxes of crackers.
• Bags of chips.
• Boxes of powdered milk (used as milk where there is no refrigeration).
• Cans of coffee and boxes of tea
• Sugar
• Brown Sugar
• Diet sweeteners
• Pop….cans or the liter bottles.
• Canned juices (not frozen or refrigerated) are especially good to give.
• Those little juice boxes, cans or bottles are especially good for parents to give their kids.
• Canned good fruit
• Baby food
• Unopened packaged cookies
• Canned Tuna Fish, crab, etc.  Don’t give a can of sardines unless you want coal in your stocking.
• Unopened brownie, cupcake, etc. MIXES.

Right now, baked goods and so on are not really needed, as the grocery stores and bakeries donate almost all of their expired goods to the food banks.  Ditto anything homemade.  Unfortunately, we live in a very sick culture, and while 99.9% of homemade things would be wonderful, some idiot would deliberately make Ex-Lax brownies or something to be funny, so food banks just discard them.

Avoid anything that needs refrigeration.  Remember, the gnomes at Xcel Energy have turned a lot of people off for being unable to pay their electric bills due to unemployment.  Refrigeration is questionable.

In addition, the food banks and shelters can use the following:

• Disposable diapers (absolutely essential)
• Teething supplies
• Feminine Hygiene Products (Tampons, Sanitary Napkins, etc.)
• Razors and razor blades or disposable razors
• Shaving cream
• Toothpaste
• Toothbrushes
• Brushes and combs
• Other personal hygiene products
• Blankets (lots of them)
• Pillows (should be new only)
• Bed sheets

Shelters and clothing banks (clothing banks will often be attached to shelters or food banks) need the following:

• All sorts of clean, untorn, clothing in all sizes.  “Gently worn” or new are best.  Don’t give away just those things that are about to fall apart, although that, certainly, is better than nothing for people.  Our basic rule of thumb is — if we haven’t worn it for a year, we’re probably not going to wear it again.  Don’t forget that clothing banks need big and tall sizes, as well.
• Men’s dress shirts and dress slacks for interviewing.
• Sweaters
• Women’s dresses, suits, dress slacks, nice blouses, etc. for interviewing.
• One thing that clothing banks need lots of:  Stockings, pantyhose, socks, etc. in all sizes.
• Dress and casual shoes
• Work boots
• Warm clothing
• Blankets (lots of them)
• Pillows (should be new only)
• Bed sheets, esp. for twin beds (single person sized beds)
• Coats
• Hats
• Mittens
• Gloves
• Snow boots
• Purses
• Toys of all sorts, both new and gently used.
• New or used baby bottles and nipples.
• Tools of every kind….power, hand, etc.
• Painting supplies

Generally speaking, if you go through your closets this holiday season, you will find several garbage bags full of clothing, blankets, and other things you can donate.  It will be a good exercise for you to de-clutter your home, and will dramatically help others.

Executives going through their garages can find many things they haven’t used in years.  Old tools, old boots….virtually anything that is in decent shape that you’re not using can be a godsend to those who are poor and/or homeless.  The donation of a pair of new workboots can literally change a family’s life as the husband is able to go out and work and bring in money.  Your unused tools can give a handyman a way to feed his or her family.  Make it a family project, especially if you’re unemployed.  Get the children involved.  It will help to remind them that there are others who are far worse off than they are this Holiday.  It wouldn’t hurt to take the kiddies to help out at a homeless shelter where there are other children their ages, either.  Children of executives are tremendously entitled and spoiled.  Having them see reality might help quite a bit.

It won’t hurt unemployed executives to remember that they are still among the most fortunate in America, either.  It might give you some reality base when you start to panic because you’re down to your last $500K in the bank, as I see so many executives do.

There are many people who need help right now.  The head of the World Bank has predicted food riots by 2010 (folks…that is less than one month away right now) in New York City if we don’t get more food on food bank shelves.  Hungry people eventually become violent people.

We have an obligation as the fortunate to give to those who are not.  It is immoral for us to have extra when some have nothing when we can easily change this.  The person whose birth is being commemorated later this month (though too many forget him) said “Let the person who has two coats give to him who has none.”  Of course, a largish check to your local homeless shelter or food bank is also always appreciated.

I hear far too many politics from pulpits these days, and far too little care for fellow humans.  God is neither Republican nor Democrat, but God certainly is compassionate and caring for those who have nothing.  We have the wherewithal to make a huge difference in people’s lives this Holiday season, in this, the most difficult time in American history since the Great Depression.  Let’s do it.  To fail to act brands us as apathetic, callous and, in my opinion, immoral.

J.

I hear this question all of the time.  The answer, unfortunately, is usually “yes.”  Here are some questions to help you decide.

1).  You’ve been unemployed more than a month and you have had less than 3 interviews.  The best time to get RE-employed is right after you’ve become unemployed.  The longer you wait to intensively network and “get out there,” the more your chances diminish.  If you haven’t had interviews scheduled right “out of the chute,” you’re unlikely to get them soon enough.

2).  You’ve been unemployed more than three months, period. If you’re getting interviews, but aren’t employed and you’ve been out more than three months, don’t waste any more time.  Get some help right away with someone reputable.

3).  You’ve had two or more interviews but were turned down for the job. Look, everyone gets told they “came in second.”  It is BS.  You probably didn’t and even if you did, so what.  You didn’t interview as well as the guy who came in first.  Get help for this before you blow more opportunities.  Remember…..they’ll never tell you why you actually didn’t get the job.  A good Transition Coach can diagnose this in minutes and stop you from making similar mistakes at your next interview.

Remember that opportunities don’t come along every day.  If you “blow” one, you might not get another one for a while.  At today’s average executive salary, if you get employed one month sooner than you would have on your own (which is incredibly likely) you’ve paid the fee of a good Transition Coach.  Too many execs are terrified and stingy, however, and don’t want to have to pay something to help them get a job.  This is incredibly short sighted poor judgment.  It is a simple bottom-line comparison.  Considering what a good Transition Coach can do for an executive, not hiring one is the tremendously expensive option.

4).  You want to remain in a specific area. Choose a Transition Coach who knows the area well.  We know the Colorado Front Range probably better than anyone else, as we’ve been here forever and are incredibly well networked.

5).  You want to change verticals. If you’ve been in health care and want to work in a technology company, get help to do so.

6).  You’re going from a big company to a small one or visa-versa. This takes special help, as the “buzzwords” are very different.

7).  You need to be better networked. Here’s how to tell you need to be better networked.  You’re unemployed and have been so for a month or more.  Top networkers rarely stay unemployed even for a few weeks.  They call their network and set them to work.  Hire a Transition Coach who is well networked and knows your market.  They will help you in many ways, perhaps even referring you to several people in their network.

8).  You want to change careers. This needs a great deal of assistance.  First, you don’t want to change just to find out that you hate it, or it should have remained a hobby.  Secondly, this is a complex move these days.  Make the most of it.

9).  You’re from another State. This applies mostly to the Denver/Front Range Area, though it could be said of many other places as well.  In Denver, especially if you’re an “East Coaster” or from Los Angeles, you need a great deal of help.  Your attitudes and demeanor are very different from those Coloradoans like.  Your conversation, speed of conversation and the volume of words coming from your mouth will turn others off.  Get the help of an expert and listen to him or her!

10).  You’re not getting interviews. If you’re not getting interviews, get help now.  You can’t get employed (usually) without an interview.

These are a few of the reasons you should seek a Transition Coach.  But there are some caveats.

1).  Don’t bet the mortgage. If you are really and truly dead-ass broke, which does not mean that you’re down to your last $100K or $5M, but that you really, actually don’t have any money to survive for 5 – 6 months, you shouldn’t spend money on a Transition Coach.  You should go take whatever job you can find, even if it is just consulting, part-time, or well beneath you, and keep looking while you’re making enough to pay the bills.

I don’t take anyone as a client anymore who is true financial trouble.  Spending several thousand dollars on a good coach when you’re worried about whether you’re going to be able to pay the mortgage on the 1^st will make you an incredibly lousy client.  You’ll expect unreasonable things from the coach, get nasty, and be panicked in job interviews.

2).  Be careful whom you engage. Check out the reputation of any coach you are considering engaging.  I do not mean to just call the references they give you.  Are they going to give you someone disgruntled?  I don’t think so.

One firm has been closed in at least a couple of states by their attorneys general, and has had a New York Times exposé on them….yet they remain in business in Denver.  I wish I could tell you who this is, and would tell you one to one, but the damned lawyers would get involved if I wrote it in a column, no matter how accurate.

But there are lots of scams out there in employment.  Whenever there is desperation, the leeches come out in droves.  And the employment coaching market is, in my opinion, worse than most.  I always encourage our prospective clients to check us out extensively.

But don’t be unreasonable.  No one, including us, has 100% satisfaction rate.  Too many people expect ridiculous things that we are very clear to spell out in our contract that we don’t offer, but think they heard.  We have about a 90% satisfaction rate, which most firms like ours would kill for.  If someone tells you that they have 100% satisfaction rate…run, don’t walk, away from them.  Nobody wins ‘em all.  You’re looking for a preponderance of positive information, not universal satisfaction.

3).  Don’t have unrealistic expectations. No Transition firm is going actually do “reverse headhunting” and find you a job.  If they promise that, and are charging less than about 1/3^rd of your income, they are lying to you.  If they say “We do the work and you get the job,” they’re lying to you (although I think that the firm that used that slogan has stopped using it).  No one is going to do this for you.  Not a headhunter.  Not a Transition Coach.  Not your mommy.  You have to go out and do it yourself.  A Transition Coach, however, can keep you from doing stupid things and messing up perfectly good opportunities.  And a good Transition Coach is worth several times what they charge.

4).  Read your blanking contract! Every Transition Coach I know ahs gotten very anal about the contract and will spell out exactly what to expect and what not to expect.  Don’t expect them to open their Rolodex for you.  That would be suicide for them.  Don’t expect them to do everything for you.  Don’t expect them to get a job for you.  Don’t expect that they’ll produce your deliverables out of thin air in 2 hours.  Expect that they will give you blunt, unpleasant to hear, but necessary advice.

5).  Don’t expect them to be nice. A nice coach is a very ineffective coach.  I say, “If you want warm and fuzzy, go buy a blanking Teddy Bear.”  This is because warm and fuzzy isn’t helpful.  Grow up and take blunt, nasty advice and thank your coach for it.

I offer a free career evaluation to those with the current or immediate past titles of VP or who are the “C” Level.  My partner, Nicole, offers a free career evaluation to Senior Managers and Directors.  We both are extensively experienced.  To set up an appointment to meet with us, please call 303.480.5484, and let Nicole (who keeps the calendar for both of us) know your current or past title, and that you’d like to set up a free executive eval session.

Feel free to call me at 720.581.4301, or write me a jheckers@heckersdevgroup.com.  Follow me @heckersdev on Twitter!  www.heckersdevgroup.com.

All the best,

J.