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© 2001-‐2013 Susan Britton Whitcomb For exclusive use by participants in the CCMC-‐MBA Track Program. Reproduction or transmission of any part of this work by any means including photocopying, without express permission of publisher, is prohibited.

Coaching Job Search Teams Unit 15,

COACHING JOB SEARCH TEAMS

KEY POINTS

• Brief review of ICF 11 Core Competencies.

• Job Search Teams are a highly effective vehicle to keep students on track with their search.

REVIEW OF ICF COMPETENCIES

Following is an at-‐a-‐glance review of the 11 ICF Competencies; the blue parenthetical text under each competency offers suggestions of how the competency might look in action.

INTERNATIONAL COACH FEDERATION’S 11 CORE COMPETENCIES

A. SETTING THE FOUNDATION B. CO-‐CREATING THE RELATIONSHIP

1. Meeting Ethical Guidelines & Professional Standards (operating within professional standards; confidentiality)

2. Establishing the Coaching Agreement (macro level: setting expectations; coaching pledge; micro level: setting focus/takeaway for each session)

3. Establishing Trust & Intimacy with the Client (creating trust; confidentiality; creating space for student to express hopes, fears, frustrations without concern of judgment)

4. Coaching Presence (believing in the student; coaching without mental distractions; creating an environment of possibility)

C. COMMUNICATING EFFECTIVELY D. FACILITATING LEARNING AND RESULTS

5. Active Listening (hearing what’s being said, what’s not being said; listening for aspirations, roadblocks, limiting beliefs; leaving silence/space in the conversation)

6. Powerful Questioning (questions that move the conversation forward; open-‐ended ‘what’ & ‘how’ questions; curiosity questions; future-‐focused questions; take-‐action questions)

8. Creating Awareness (helping student ‘connect the dots’ in their lives; increasing insights that lead to goal-‐related actions)

9. Designing Actions (creating opportunities for learning and taking action; conscious choice, intentionality, and actions toward goals)

10. Planning and Goal Setting (exploring & prioritizing options; creating

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7. Direct Communication (speaking truth with respect; being clear; choosing words that resonate with student; naming any “elephants” in the room)

a written plan; SMART goals; leveraging early successes)

11. Managing Progress and Accountability (holding attention on student’s macro career goals & micro action steps; distilling goals into tangible action steps; individually tailoring accountability that supports and sustains progress; checking in on progress; checking on roadblocks/distractions/procrastination)

COACHING JOB SEARCH TEAMS

Job search teams are documented to be effective. Studies conducted by the U.S. Department of Labor reveal that 80% of Job Club graduates found new employment during a pilot study versus 46% in a control group. Job Club graduates’ time-‐to-‐placement was one-‐third the time required for control group members, and salaries were one-‐third higher.

Why are job search teams effective? They serve as:

• An advisory panel

• A core network

• An accountability network

• A project management team

• A place of encouragement and renewed hope for job seekers

• A mirror of what it’s like to function in a business team

CHALLENGES

• Just “showing up” without participating

• Others were super diligent so created concerns for others

• Restarting every week (different attendance each week)

• Consistent motivation within team from week to week

• Identifying and following through on tasks for coming week

• Gap between international job search challenges vs. US students

• Perceived “competition”/sharing contacts etc – questioning, is this a good use of my time?

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• Students in different place / level of knowledge (e.g., how to write a request for an informational interview)

• Timing (worked well – focus on helping each other best use their personal strengths for opportunity)

S e t t i n g U p J o b S e a r c h T e a m s

Suggestions for setting up job search teams follow:

• Team numbers: Assign (or have students self-‐select) 6-‐10 students per team, with one coach/facilitator per team.

• Makeup of team: A team composed of students pursuing the same functional job-‐target will have the camaraderie and commonalities from similar elective classes, student organizations, etc. Consider grouping international students into same group(s), since their special challenges with visas, language, etc. will not be relevant to U.S. students. A potential con to grouping students by functional area is the perceived threat of competition if some students are targeting the same companies. (See “Competition vs. Collaboration” for ideas on minimizing this perceived threat.)

• Time & Frequency: Meet once per week for one-‐hour each time to create and maintain momentum. Start teams as soon as possible in the Fall—this will emphasize the importance of spending time on the job search early in the game.

• Commitment: Ask students to sign a pledge describing their commitment to:

o Attend every meeting possible, minimum number of hours agreed to be spent in the job search each week, preparation of reporting in advance of weekly meeting

o Confidentiality and respect, support of fellow team members in whatever ways possible, donate 2-‐4 hours* to other team members outside of weekly meeting. (* modify as appropriate)

o Commit to quantitative job-‐search action steps, honor commitments made during the meetings

o Other agreed-‐upon items

• Ending: Once a student has landed an internship or full-‐time position, he/she is not required to continue in the group (after attending the group to share news of the offer received and methods to have received the offer).

C o n d u c t i n g J o b S e a r c h T e a m M e e t i n g s

Suggestions for conducting job search teams follow:

• Agenda: A tight agenda will be necessary to accommodate up to 10 students in a one-‐hour timeframe. Consider this allocation of time:

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o First half of meeting: 10 individuals x 3 minutes = 30 minutes: Each individual reports out in 3-‐minutes his/her progress on:

His/her numbers: How much was accomplished.

His/her highlights: What worked best last week.

His/her priorities: For the coming week.

Agenda items: Search issues he/she wants to discuss during the latter part of the meeting.

o Second half of meeting – “parking lot” discussions: The remaining 30 minutes are spent prioritizing the top 2-‐3 topics of concern that were shared by everyone during the report phase. The group decides on a time allocation for each topic. For example, if networking at conferences, following up with a lead, having trouble getting a decision maker to return a call appear to be the 3 most relevant topics for the week, the group collectively decides to, say, spend 10 minutes on networking, 5 minutes on following up with a lead, and 10 minutes on strategies to get a decision maker to return a call.

• Commitments: If, when the student reports out, he/she has not followed up on his/her commitments from the prior week, the facilitator should pose the question to the group, such as: “What are people’s ideas about how to handle accountability in instances like these?”

• Discussion: The coach’s role is to keep the meeting on track, not allow one person to monopolize the meeting, and draw out the strengths of the team, rather than be a purveyor of all the answers.

o To facilitate the Parking Lot discussion, the coach asks, “Who has had some success with networking at conferences?” … “What other ideas do people have?”

o If a student shares an idea that, on the surface, doesn’t seem to make sense or be a good strategy, the coach might say: “Let me pause you there and ask everyone: As you think about what’s being said, what comes up for you??”

o If the coach perceives a lack of motivation within the team from week to week, he/she might ask: “What ideas to people have to keep the energy up from week to week?” Or, “What works best for you to keep the long-‐term goal of a new job in view in the midst of your demanding schedules?”

J o b S e a r c h : I t ’ s a N u m b e r s G a m e

It’s helpful to quantify goals and progress. Although quality encounters are crucial, it’s also a numbers game! Here are a few to consider:

• 25: The average number of Decision Makers a student will need to speak with (not interview with) before getting an offer.

• 5-‐25: The number of hours a job seeker should spend each week in the job search.

• 10-‐50: The total number of openings that need to become available each month in order for the job seeker to have a strong job-‐search target market. Orville Pierson, in his book “The

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Unwritten Rules of The Highly Effective Job Search,” outlines these Reality Check questions to determine this number:

o 1: How many organizations meet the geographic, industry, and size criteria in your Project Plan?

o 2: How many appropriate jobs (not openings) exist right now in each of those targeted organizations?

o 3: How many appropriate jobs (not openings) exist in your entire Target Market?

o 4: How many years does someone typically stay in one of those jobs?

o 5 and 6: How many openings each year are likely in your Target Market? How many openings each month?

• 50: The 50 factors essential to conducting a successful job search. Consideration of the following will help job seekers recognize where they may need to shore up their efforts.

1. Focus: Do you have a clear job-‐search target that specifies the functional position and industry?

2. Future Focus: Are you envisioning yourself ALREADY successful in that role?

3. Skills: Do you have the core functional skills required of the positions you are targeting?

4. Experience: Do you have the requisite number of years' experience preferred for the position?

5. Industry Experience: Do you have experience in your target industry?

6. Industry Status: Is your target industry stable and/or growing?

7. Company Targets: Do you have a list of ideal employers that you are targeting?

8. Job Search Tactics: Have you identified influencers within those employers with whom you can network, using informational interviewing and networking as your primary job-‐search tactic (in other words, are you avoiding spending most of your time on job boards such as Monster or CareerBuilder)?

9. Targeted Search Tactics: Are you contacting your 'dream employers' directly and following up any online application with a phone call?

10. Flexible Expectations: Can you be flexible about what you would accept (e.g., a position that is beneath what you would prefer to accept, a position without benefits, two part-‐time positions instead of one full-‐time, a position with an organization that you wouldn’t normally consider [a boutique firm instead of multinational, the federal government, a not-‐for-‐profit, etc.])?

11. Network: Do you have a number of existing, long-‐term relationships with hiring managers and/or people who know, like and trust you and are willing to enthusiastically

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recommend/endorse you to hiring managers/decision makers?

12. Networking: Are you intentionally adding to your network by, for instance, asking contacts 'who else you should be talking with?'; using social networks; participating in LinkedIn groups; contacting alumni; and so on?

13. Networking Research: Are you researching the individuals you will be meeting with so that you are able to bring unique value to each networking contact?

14. Networking Priority: Are you willing and able to spend at least 70% of your job-‐search time in person-‐to-‐person networking with hiring managers and individuals influential to the hiring process?

15. Networking Meetings: During your networking meetings, are you focusing on how to bring value to the relationship vs. simply asking for job leads?

16. Resume: Are you sending individualized resumes that are tailored to the employer’s needs?

17. Resume Follow Up: If you have submitted a resume to a website, are you following up each and every resume submission with a personal contact, either through direct phone call or via a networking contact recommending you to the hiring manager?

18. Follow Up: Are you following up with contacts at appropriate intervals (immediately after networking meeting with thank you note; then, approximately every 10-‐14 days, as appropriate), and following through on verbal commitments (e.g., if you said you would send a resume to a networking contact, have you done it in a timely manner; or, if a hiring manager asked you to check back in a week, have you done so?)

19. Branded Value Proposition: Do you have a clear, compelling brand that differentiates you from your competition so that you can persuasively describe to employers how your skills can bring bottom-‐line value to their organization?

20. Interviewing Skills: Do you interview well (e.g., you can articulately and persuasively demonstrate to employers your core skills relevant to the position and show them on-‐the-‐spot how you can help the employer make money, save money, or solve problems that are of immediate concern to them)?

21. Interviewing Research: Have you thoroughly researched your target employers' T.O.P. issues (Trends, Opportunities/Organizational Fit, and Problems/Projects)?

22. Interviewing Preparation: Have you spent 50-‐100 hours practicing responses to frequently asked questions, industry/position-‐specific questions, and behavioral interviewing questions?

23. Education/Certifications: Do you have the degrees/certifications/emphasis that employers prefer for your target position?

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24. Technology Access: Do you have a smart phone with 24/7 access to texts, email, social media, and the Internet?

25. Technology Skills: Are your technology skills up to date for your industry and the position you are seeking?

26. Online Job Search Skills: Are you familiar with online job-‐search tools, such as creating an online presence (blog, social media profiles, etc.), creating a LinkedIn profile, updating your activity on Twitter or Facebook or other social networking sites, posting your resume to a website using the proper type of digital format, and so on?

27. Communication Skills: Would former managers rate your communication skills as above average for your target position?

28. Interpersonal Skills/Emotional Intelligence: Would former managers rate your interpersonal skills/emotional intelligence as above average for your target position?

29. Language: If English is not your native language, would former managers rate your language skills equal to that of others who work in your target position?

30. Work History: Is your work history FREE of any "skeletons" in the closet (examples of "skeletons" would be a history of job hopping, poor relationships with prior employers, accusations of workplace discrimination or harassment, being fired, etc.)?

31. Relocation Search: Are you targeting a geographic area that does NOT require a move or excessive commute?

32. Relocation Availability: If opportunities for your target position are slim in your current geographic area, are you able to relocate?

33. Target Location: Are you targeting a geographic area that is stable and/or growing, where unemployment numbers are below average?

34. Age: Are you in an age bracket where you won't be subjected to potential age discrimination (i.e., not considered too young/inexperienced [or, not considered too old/over-‐qualified])?

35. Disabilities: If you have some type of disability, are you able to perform your job duties without special accommodation?

36. Appearance: Do you look fairly "average" for the type of work you're pursuing (e.g., no tattoos if applying at a conservative law office; not overweight if applying at a health spa; no nicotine-‐stained fingers if applying at a smoke-‐free work environment; etc.)

37. Family Obligations: Are there NO personal circumstances that might prevent you from performing your job duties ("personal circumstances" might include a lack of reliable child care; a child with special needs or elderly parents that you're caring for that may require more than the normal time away from work; etc.)?

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38. Salary: Do you have flexibility in your salary requirements?

39. Time: Once you are hired, will you be able to put in the required time the position requires to be successful (e.g., able to devote 60-‐hour weeks for a salaried manager position that is expected to work this many hours or more weekly)

40. Money: Do you have reserves of four to six months' living expenses, and have you allocated sufficient job-‐search funds that will allow you to attend networking events, go to important industry conferences, or, say, send a direct-‐mail resume campaign?

41. Confidentiality: Are you able to conduct your search without concern for confidentiality (e.g., if your current employer knew you were looking for a job, it would not jeopardize your employment)?

42. Daily Goals: Are you setting daily and weekly goals for yourself, including goals of approx. 5 face-‐to-‐face meetings per week with hiring managers or people who have influence with hiring managers?

43. Motivation: Are you committed to putting in 8-‐10 hours a day on your job search (if you are not currently employed) or 3-‐5 hours per day (if you are currently employed), as well as stretch and do things outside your comfort zone (such as make cold calls or attend networking events)?

44. Time Management: Are you remembering to face-‐to-‐face network by day and social network and submit resumes by night?

45. Mindset/Attitude: Are you positive and optimistic (vs. skeptical/despairing) about the future? Are you open to rethinking limiting beliefs or behaviors that may be holding you back?

46. Patience: Are you remaining cordial and calm with your network and target employers (e.g., not expressing anger or frustration if an employer's time table doesn't match with your needs, or not allowing annoyances show in your tone of voice when a potential

networking contact doesn't return your call)?

47. Support: Are you taking care of yourself physically and emotionally by exercising, eating well, and spending sufficient time with people who are wholly supportive and uplifting?

48. Accessible: Are you remaining easily accessible via cell phone/Blackberry so that recruiters, hiring managers, and networking contacts can reach you quickly?

49. Emotional Health: If you find your search taking longer/more difficult than you anticipated, have you dealt with any negative emotions (anger, unforgiveness, denial, frustration) that might hinder your search?

50. Professional Assistance: Are you teaming up with the Career Services Office—someone

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knowledgeable about the job search process, can offer strategic wisdom and resources, and help with accountability?

K e e p i n g S c o r e

Pierson suggests a number of metrics to report on within Job Search Teams. Downloadable forms for use by nonprofit organizations can be found at www.highlyeffectivejobsearch.com. Consider customizing metrics to allow for alumni informational interviews. (The following items are sourced from The Highly Effective Job Search, pages 269-‐270)

• Date (week of)

o Job Search Education

o Research

o Letters and Admin.

o Network: phone

o Network: in person

Total Hours (Total hours spent on job search this week, including job search education, research, letter writing, administration, and talking to people on the phone and in person.)

o Direct mail

o Advertised positions

o Search firms

o Other letters

Total Letters (Total number of letters written and mailed or e-‐mailed this week.)

o General network (include search firms)

o Target company miscellaneous contact

o Target company peer contact

o Target company decision maker/above

o Follow-‐ups with decision maker/above

Total Contacts (Total number of conversations you have in person or on the phone with anyone about your job search this week.)

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C o m p e t i t i o n v s . C o l l a b o r a t i o n

Potentially the biggest challenge in facilitating Job Search Teams where teams are grouped by same function/industry searches is the student’s perception that he/she will be competing with fellow students. I posed a question on LinkedIn to a hand-‐picked group of experienced career colleagues, many of whom have worked in MBA career offices: “How might you manage the potential for a job seeker's hesitancy to share info when all of them are going for similar positions and may be competing?”

Highlights of responses are shared here, with attribution to the contributor.

• I'd think that can be addressed by stating some preliminary points at the first meeting. Mention that it is to the group's benefit to share best practices, tips & pointers and insights or articles read because it makes all of their 'blades' sharper. (Kristina Barnett)

• You could incorporate group guidelines and have each group come up with a set of customized guidelines they'd feel comfortable with (e.g., they may decide that names of companies/info identifying the potential employer or job opening will not be shared in the group -‐-‐ that can present its own challenges and consequences, but addresses the issue of hesitating to share). Another option might be to work in some sessions where the members of each team work with those in other functional areas (the finance group member joins the marketing group). (Shahrzad Arasteh)

• Employers will choose their preferred candidate on the basis of the unique value that applicant brings to the company-‐-‐skills, interests, experience, talent, etc. No two applicants are exactly the same so they're competing mostly from their perspective, not that of the hiring manager. My suggestion would be for job seekers to understand that withholding information doesn't help them and probably hurts them. If they were to share information about openings in their field and one of their MBA colleagues were hired, they'd have an inside contact in a company that might have a position in the future, for which they are the perfect fit. In withholding information about available positions, they do nothing to increase their probability of being hired. I coach my career coaching clients to think of the job search process as one of identifying their unique value proposition and then find the place where they are the best possible fit. When they're not selecting for a position, I offer the possibility that they may have been a good fit but the employer was either fortunate to find an even better fit or they weren't wise enough to see the best opportunity. In either case, is that a place you'd want to work, knowing you weren't a great fit or were working for an unwise employer? (Marti Benjamin)

• We just finished the formal facilitator-‐led part of a job search group and the participants continue to keep in touch with and support each other. I don't see that happening if they were knowingly competing with each other. The only way I could see a same-‐function group working would be for them to not share leads or names of the companies they're interviewing with or targeting-‐-‐which defeats the purpose of the group. If group communication travelled one-‐way, from facilitator to participants I could see it being beneficial, but it would in my mind then become a different entity. We call ours "job search teams" because participants support each other. (Tina Ohmstede)

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• I’ve been thinking about how to reply to your question, it brought back memories of an Executive Workshop that I used to conduct. I understand how competition can diminish the effectiveness of learning among peers. Here’s what I found to be an effective strategy in a workshop of 25 competing executives: The facilitator introduces him/herself to establish credibility as the moderator of the session. S/he highlights the teaching methods i.e. supportive learning, group interaction, and fictional case studies that will be used. A cornerstone for collaboration has now been laid. The facilitator queries the collective to begin to establish unity within the session and asks the group if any of these statements sound familiar: Have you sent your resume to jobs that you know are definitely yours and you never even get a letter of response? Have you ever been told that your resume has to be one-‐page long? Have you paid for your resume to be professionally written and feel like it is not talking about you? Has one employer/recruiter loved your resume and another think it is horrible? Have you ever heard that you are “overqualified”? Have you ever sent out 100’s of resumes and not even hear back from one? At this point participants begin to see and hear that they share similar experiences with others in the room. An atmosphere of similarity and safety begins to emerge as learners begin to feel that they are not alone. Egos are now starting to be disarmed. Break individuals up into small groups (up to six participants in each group): • Instruct participants to introduce themselves to their group and inform them that the person to their right will be presenting them to the collective. • Introduction includes: Name, Targeted Position or Industry, What would they like to gain from the session? An atmosphere of collaboration is now forming within the group. The facilitator delivers his/her presentation and instructional material. During this process the facilitator continues to promote a supportive learning environment by being open to participants’ offerings and questions. Facilitator poses questions to the collective that open up peer-‐to-‐peer dialogues. Knowledge sharing and support has now begun to be established.

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Each group is then given the task of developing and presenting to the collective a fictional case study based on the instructional material that was delivered and the experiences of the individuals within the group. Collaboration and information sharing has been established. This process of openness, collaboration, supportive learning and information sharing continues throughout. (Kathy Aguiar)

• This looks like an interesting and somewhat difficult dilemma but it's a good one to tackle. Some of the reasons and tips come from my direct experience leading groups a little bit like this in my practice. I lead a group weekly called Executives In Transition. This group possesses a lot of dissimilar talent but in the last three years leading this group I have seen and continue to see competition within. What I strive to do is to focus this group on the fact that you either look at your competition as complementing you or you may not be able to compete in the marketplace. It's the iron sharpens iron mentality. Actually it started as a survival tactic because at certain points in the recession and days of high unemployment it seemed nobody was getting hired. What were we to do? Did we want to stay focused on ourselves or work in synergy? Look at a flock, a pack of Tour de France riders or any team with oars pulling together. It's bumper to bumper drafting if you will. Teams -‐ they go faster. So my small group didn't have much of a choice. Neither did I. We started working together to help each other. Fast forward until today. Most of my clients who "really get it" now find ways to help each other. Clients now have "lost" jobs to each other. We created a team; that team now works together for the good of each other. Leading these groups and knowing that jobseekers today must compete against peers, highly qualified people and those who may hold "relationship advantages" with potential hiring entities could be crucially important. In other words a group with internal competition looks more like a real world scenario. What is the employment landscape today? It's an employer choice market. What's the reality and true scenario with any qualified group of talented candidates? It's competition. So here are three tips: 1. Get groups to see the advantages of creating a master mind. Push each person to open up to and confess job search or career problems and get the groups to work on solving those problems real time. 2. Create ways in person, online and offline to build relationships personally and professionally. I encourage my clients to comment on each others blogs, participate in volunteer activities, critique each other's interviews and be a creative resource to each

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other. If they want to catch lunch, coffee or golf a bit then go to it. Develop relationships in the lab! It will work in the marketplace. 3. We work as a team when we can even if that means "losing" a job to a competing team member. I instill a sense of common focus in people so that they cheer other's success. They see some evidence in the "success stories" I tell and some in the newsletters I send with evidence of accomplishments. (John M. O’Connor, MFA, CMC)

• I would point out that most companies want team players, so holding back info is not really a sign of a team player. (Henri Vanroelen)

• Though they may be competitors, there will be individuals in the group who have an "edge" based on experience or contacts. A smart individual would not share their "edge," but can still be supportive of the group by giving feedback so others can put the "best foot forward." That type of feedback will be helpful beyond just one job lead. (Brenda Siler)

• Have them collaborate on helping one another tell individual stories, not strategies for applying to specific companies. (Chandlee Bryan)

• That's a difficult question, isn't it? Especially for attorneys and businesspeople, who are sometimes trained to think of information as something that must be protected, lest it be turned into a weapon against you. However, I suspect that many times the sense of competition for specific jobs is often exaggerated. Do Candidate A and B have the same education, experience, interests, skills, ideal work environment, work style, etc.? An opportunity that is a perfect fit for Candidate A will not necessarily be a perfect fit for Candidate B. Also, cooperation can be a short-‐ and long-‐term good. Nearly all the high-‐level professionals I work with tell me that the majority of their opportunities -‐-‐ employment, client, project, and even personal -‐-‐ come to them through their network. In contrast, many of the entry-‐level professionals I work with tell me (erroneously, of course) that they have no network. They might consider using the job-‐search groups as opportunities to build and broaden their networks. Cooperation (or at least lowered competition) will bring *more* opportunities to the attention of the group, both in the short-‐run and the long-‐run. (Shauna C. Bryce, Esq.)

• An effective place to start in leading this type of group is to set the tone of sharing by focusing on the word: collaboration with the following collaboration exercise.

Collaboration Exercise:

Part I:

A. In pairs have participants share what the word ‘collaboration’ means to them.

Ask: How do you define the word ‘collaboration’?

(1-‐2 minutes total)

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B. As the leader ask,

“Who will come up and write the responses on the chart paper at the front of the room?”

Then the leader asks,

“Who is willing to come up and ask for the responses from the group? “

[Without announcing this to anyone since the person leading the job search group has now become and demonstrated facilitator skills they have the new substitute leader facilitate the following,]

Part II:

Have participants find another partner in the group to pair with and this time share their thoughts to answer the question:

“How can collaboration be successful in your job search?”

(3 minutes total)

Summary of trends and takeaways the leader of the job search group can use after the substitute leader collects responses and asks for further thoughts could include:

Collaboration is a catalyst for coming together with great ideas. Particularly those in MBA programs know the importance of collaboration. Collaboration is a key skill in business as it is the best way to compound good ideas to great ideas.

The most efficient, effective and successful job seekers focus on collaboration.

Second Idea:

Another great word to use for this type of exercise is the word: TEAMWORK.

Third Idea:

Either beginning the meeting... or after the above:

Ask the question:

“How can you help another job seeker?” Or, the facilitator can even make it more specific by asking: “What can you do for another job seeker in this room?”

Provide an example such as the following:

One job seeker had an interview with a company that they knew two others in the job search group were also likely qualified for and would want. The person shared both major and other essential confidence building tips and techniques about the approaches the company used in the interview process. The prospective employee who was not offered the position still shared the exact interview questions they had been asked, even where and how to park if they could not find a parking space, type of clothing & shoes to wear as they had been asked to climb a couple stories of ladders as a part of the tour. Their collaboration and sharing garnered two others in the group interviews for the position, and without asking they received some excellent recommendations for use in their own interview process and on LinkedIn as well.

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They passed what they knew on to others... expanded another persons world... and without the expectation (key point) amazingly ended up expanding their own world.

Sharing with others the information they had about a position opening they had interviewed for through collaboration ended up landing them their best professional engineering position ever at another firm and they’ve already been in their new position for 18 months! Plus, built a collegial network of colleagues sharing throughout the industry actually worldwide. (Elizabeth Craig, MBA)

• Personal branding is the key. When job seekers put themselves out there, rather than just their credentials (which are all similar) it creates the different that will get you to stand out. And when you know you brand and put it out there you are competing at a different level. No one else can be you. And those who get it can have very quick job searches. Hiring managers are looking for more than just skills. Yes, you have to have the skills and demonstrate them, but there is much more. "Fit" is a big one. Will you fit with the culture of the organization, in an authentic way. Let your personality come out on your resume and interview. When you use a resume writer, you lose the opportunity to let your personality shine through, and end up creating a cookie cutter resume. Also, if you're looking at your job search as a "competition" and you are withholding information from others because of that you are approaching your job search from a scarcity mind set and a low energy level (Victim or Conflict). As a result, you will be more closed and less yourself during the job search process, ultimately shooting yourself in the foot and losing out on opportunities. You will not be able to help yourself from being anything other than who you are, and in this situation that is guarded and closed rather than open and connecting. (Larry Boyer)

• It's a tough concept to get across, but each person is unique. Even though they have the same degree, they all will present themselves differently because they are all unique. If you can get them to realize that their best strategy is strive to be the best than can be, I think that is all you can do. As far as "networking", my experience says you will have trouble convincing them to help each other. Job seekers are, for the most part, self-‐centered and protective of anything they perceive to be of benefit to themselves. They say they want to help others, but if they perceive it might hurt them then it's all over. (Richard Kirby)

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B o n u s T o o l : T h e P e r s o n a l M a r k e t i n g B r i e f

A “Personal Marketing Brief” can be a helpful tool in the networking process. Initially created by Lee Hecht Harrison as a device to help networking contacts assist a job seeker with his/her search, this ‘Personal Marketing Brief’ accomplishes two goals:

• First, the categories within the Brief force the job seeker to get clear on his/her target companies, target position, core strengths, and value proposition.

• Second, when shared with networking contacts, it helps them offer on-‐target, relevant assistance to the job seeker.

Not to be confused with a resume, this document is shared with networking contacts who can then assist the job seeker with additional ideas about contacts or companies that would align with the job seeker’s goals. A sample follows.

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WRAP-UP & APPLICATION

• What are the biggest challenges you see with job search teams? How will you apply your knowledge of coaching to address these challenges in the future?

• From material presented in this Tab, as well as from class discussion, what new ideas will you incorporate into your work with students?

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