They are two different things. But though for Carly, dog training might be fun, I called Heide from H.R. Max, LLC when I attempted once more to try to get Buddy out the door to go for a walk with me. We didn’t have trainers for Teddy (our first German Shepherd) but I do remember a time period when he was young that I couldn’t get him to walk anywhere with me. Just putting the Gentle Leader on Teddy changed that and he became the best possible walking companion you could ask for.

Buddy is just one year and I still trying options for leashes and harnesses. Heide will be back next week and until she helps me over that walking hurdle, I walk with human friends only. For me, dog training is fun when I am doing some of the exercises as taught by an expert but not when Buddy fails to listen and I get frustrated.

Why Job Search may not be fun for you

Just like dog training without an expert is not fun for me. I love Buddy but learning the right strategies to work with him is well… Work!

Job Search has often been liked to having a job too. You can’t expect instantaneous results. But when you go about job search the wrong way, it will take forever and will not be fun.

I hired an expert dog trainer, just like I hired an expert marketing coach for the past three years and an expert accountant for the past two years, because I know that I am not trained in marketing or accounting. I need the advice of an expert to move me to the next level.

• Before I hired my accountant, I had asked a question about sales tax (which I had asked during a 15 year period from two other CPAs) and he checked with the department of Revenue specifically for my industry. He emailed me the reply. I do not need to charge or collect sales tax. His ability to get the right answer saved me both money and time.
• My marketing coach has saved me money and increased my income dramatically by showing me how to use the tools to attract clients from all over the world to work with me.

Both of these experts needed me to do something to make their advice work. But it was more fun to see the results when I listened to them and followed their advice.

What should you do to make job search fun?

Obviously, I recommend hiring an expert because then you can have results like this:

After a year of waiting and hoping, I just wanted to let you know I have my FIRST EVER interview early next week. I’m interviewing for XYZ District, which is exactly the kind of school district I get excited about. I just wanted to thank you, because I really believe that without your expertise, I’d still be twiddling my thumbs, waiting. Again, many, many thanks!

You can make it fun on your own though:

1. Start with the resume (the foundation of your job search). In the days of electronic applications, your words are still critical in the resume. If you don’t like to write, you have choices. Find an excellent writer friend who is willing to spend hours researching the cutting edge strategies from career professionals like myself and have the friend interview you and write the resume. Make it a game to tell her or him the very best stuff you remember about your career. How did you make a difference.
2. Find job postings you fit… and collect them. Then use them to write your cover letter and reinforce your resume.
3. Set goals to make contacts using online and in-person networking as well as answering job board posts. If you are only looking on job boards, you will get frustrated. Goals are fun.
4. Give yourself rewards. For every contact you make, keep track of them and when you hit a certain number, reward yourself. You can buy a special coffee, do something fun with your friends, or do something you love to do.

With dog training, I have to learn the right way to speak to Buddy. I have to remember to reward him when he does it right. And I have to find fun ways of training both for him and for me. Job Search can be fun too by following the same recipe for success.

Stuck in your job search or existing position? Don’t know how to get unstuck? Hire an expert to do it for you. You will hit your target much more quickly and be doing what you do best instead of trying to figure your way through the job search maze. To find out how, Click here!

One of the audience members question was what impact extending unemployment benefits had on the economy. The response was somewhat anecdotal but I could totally relate. He spoke of a Milwaukee manufacturer with more than 100 openings that could not be filled because the only applicants were not able to read and write even at a basic level. Even with peak unemployment, employers are having a tough time filling positions.

Is there complacency among the unemployed?

I can relate. I have had three clients since December ask me for referrals for positions. I have had a restaurant general manager ask if I have a night manager to recommend, a director of sales and development for a printing firm ask I had people to recommend for a newly created network administrator, and a regional sales manager ask if I have an account manager potential for his retail food industry sales position.

All three were having trouble finding the right qualified candidates. I reached out beyond my client base and still found no good fit for them.

I tend to work with very proactive people. The majority of my clients who are unemployed use a strategic job search process which includes networking and are not unemployed for a long period of time. They are go-getter kinds of people who know how to network, reach out to their connections, and employ active search strategies.

However, even I have worked with some people who used unemployment the wrong way. I have seen people who waited too long to see me. They spend the first part of their unemployment period doing the bare minimum or otherwise using old style resumes coupled with a point and click job application strategy.

What is the point and click job application strategy?

This strategy is used by people who are thinking that online applications are the end all for job search. They make applications, sometimes in high volume, but they simply apply online and never take it the next step.

They never check out networking connections, they never spend time connecting with resources, they don’t volunteer, or find any ways to access the hidden job market. They assume (incorrectly) that all jobs are online and the more the better.

Wrong! As I have said many times in the past, the secret to job search is not volume nor is it assuming that a job will fall in your lap. Job search is hard work. Spend that time wisely using the best resources and getting out of your chair to connect.

Stuck in your job search or just ready to move on or up from your existing position? Julie Walraven, a Wausau, Wisconsin-based professional resume writer and career marketing strategist, can help you get ready for your next role! To find out how, Click here!

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Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?

I had to laugh this morning. We got about an inch of snow and my husband went out to shovel quick before he took our oldest adult son to work. We live on a corner with a school down the hills so if we can shovel before the school kids tramp it down, it is both easier for us to remove and safer for them.

But it was getting late and I told my son that he needed to get going. His comment was, “Well, if Dad had scraped the car windows instead of shoveling, we would be gone.” I just looked at him and said, “You really should check your alarm.”

That was pretty good for me because I really wanted to point out that if my son had scraped the windows for his dad or helped shovel, they also would have been on the road sooner. However, I knew that my quick-to-retort son would have had an answer for that. He’s an expert at the blame game.

Are you the doer or the whiner?

Some people seem to be quick with the sharp comment, quick to complain, and quick to criticize but slow on seeing their own problems. If you are the doer, you will be out finding a solution, pitching in, and helping others.

We all can fall into the whiner role at times, complaining about the weather, about household issues, about politics, or about work, but being the one who helps out and brings solutions makes you the valuable team member whether it is in a family or at the work place.

Which are you? And what can you do to be the positive solution today?

Stuck in your job search or just ready to move on or up from your existing position? Julie Walraven, a Wausau, Wisconsin-based professional resume writer and career marketing strategist, can help you get ready for your next role! To find out how, Click here!

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When I tell clients that they need to personalize their cover letters, often the response is “oh but that would take too much time!”

Last week I had a young client who hired me to help him with his goal to be hired in law enforcement. As a new graduate, he was facing the challenge of being in a field that might not have many openings.

He was not geographic bound, which was good, and he was willing to relocate basically anywhere. However, his certifications were only for one state without completing additional training and testing.

Blasting out resumes and a cover letter more general than specific.

He had been blasting out resumes and a cover letter that was more general than specific. He insisted that he couldn’t possibly personalize his cover letters. It would take too much time.

I asked how many resumes he had been sending. He figured he had sent out about 200. He was getting some interviews but they too were more generic than specific. He wasn’t getting offers. We recreated his resume to create something that was unique to him. He kept saying that he wondered why he had waited so long to set his appointment with me. He had first called several months ago.

He had excellent quotes and references from instructors and other sources. I incorporated some of those into his resume and when he brought me his target job description for the cover letter, we talked about using another quote. He had a quote that he said was words he lived by and so I looked it up to make sure we would quote it accurately.We used his quote in the beginning of the cover letter and then went on to explain how the quote connected with his academic success and his goals with their position.

What was the quote?

“Courage is being scared to death – but saddling up anyway.”

Using this as the base of his cover letter and then scouring the job description for the position requirements and incorporating those into the cover letter created a unique document.

How long did it take to personalize?

I made him look at the clock. The time it took us to finesse his resume, look up the quote, review the job description, and talk about strategy was less than an hour. Writing the actual cover letter probably took me 15 minutes. I taught him how to look at the job description to find ways to assure the employer that he could do the job and offer reasons he would be a valuable asset in the position.

Does it take too much time to personalize your cover letters? Perhaps you should consider the results you get if that personalized cover letter leads to a job offer because the employer realizes that you really want to work for them.

Stuck in your job search or just ready to move on from your existing position? Julie Walraven can help you find a new career! To find out how, Click here!

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