Job Search - Pill #7 - Networking!

Nowadays, you hear it everywhere: networking is the way to go if you want to find a new job.
Everyone says (and it IS true my fellow international -aholics) that 80% of the jobs don’t get advertised – well, networking is the way to grab one of these opportunities – and it might be just round the corner – literally!
And you might be already spending the majority of your time networking!! Yes, you are networking when:
· Attend professional or trade association meetings
· Volunteer for a community event
· Talk to your neighbours
· Strike up a conversation with someone else waiting at the doctor
· Post messages on mailing lists, blogs or twitter
· Talk to sales persons who are visiting your office

So, do you believe now that the next opportunity and your dream job can be really round the corner?

If you google “networking” you will find millions of tips on how to do it effectively – hence just thought to share with you what networking is NOT … and it is very simple …

• First of all: Networking is NOT begging for a job! Not sure I was loud enough, let me repeat it again: Networking is NOT BEGGING FOR A JOB.
• And … Networking isn't a process of making cold-calls to people you don't know – you are NOT selling the product called YOU!

Networking is all about creating a two ways process (yes, two ways!) where you talk to people you do know or ask them to introduce you to others … and vice versa … you put people in contact when you think they might benefit from knowing each other!

And especially for us, international-aholics, networking gets even more important – you want to network to find your next international opportunity but you also want to network to gather as much information as possible about a specific organisation, city or country …

So, be yourself and start networking (or keep on networking actually!) and you will have to tell me about that “round the corner” opportunity you will encounter!

Have fun!

Giulia

Job Search - Pill #6 - Interview time!

Welcome to the 6th tip in your Job Search strategy. Here we are, you sent out your CV and you have been called for a first interview. First of all

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Secondly: Relax and don’t panic! It is true: an interview is an important step toward a great career. You will be assessed on various measures during your interview and a lot depends on how you go through your interview to make that lasting impression. I know, I know … there is a lot here to panic about but I can share with you some secrets that will make you shine and even have a lot of fun!

1. Prepare, Prepare, Prepare: It’s important to be well prepared for an interview. Interviewers are able to detect when a candidate is not prepared…and as a result, you may not come across in the best light … First impressions last! Research the company website and try to find out how you can contribute to the organization and frame questions to ask the interviewer. Any job interview is a two ways process – you are not the only one being interviewed but also the company is!
2. Be optimistic and honest. Don’t be negative towards your current or previous employers; don’t pass the blame of failures to someone else. Employers want to know your attitude towards things, and it should be positive. Let them know what you gained from any negative experiences you might have had. Be self-aware of your development areas in a mature and professional way.
3. Think about what skill-set you have that matches the job description – both soft and technical skills and be prepared to bring examples from your previous roles/experiences.
4. Put forward your experiences and skills enthusiastically in a lucid manner. Think clearly and then answer the question in a concise way (not more than 30 seconds per question – yes, you read it correctly – not more than 30 seconds – after that you can be sure the interviewer’s attention is already lost!). It is OK to have some seconds to think before you reply to gather your thoughts.
5. Lastly: a thank-you letter/email to the employer is the last secret and step towards your dream job. Employers look at it is a confirmation of your enthusiasm and interest in their organization.
   
   So relax, have fun and you will be shining!

Good Luck!

Giulia

Job Search - Pill #5 - The red fine line of a CV in the bin

What do you think really makes you CV stand out? Every recruiter spends an average of 8 second per CV – how can you turn those 8 seconds in your dream job coming to reality? If you google “CV” you will have thousands and thousands of tips on how to build the best CV. Bottom line, you CV should be clear, concise and informative at the same time and, most importantly, it should foster curiosity in the reader to call you for an interview.

Your CV is the first “knock-knock” at the company’s door and your aim is to get asked, “Who’s there”? This is the time when you want to take out the list of “Core strengths, competencies and achievements” that you prepared previously as well as your Personal Brand work. You want to make sure every single entry in the CV reflects your strengths, competencies and achievements in a way, which is consistent with your personal Brand.

When preparing your CV there are two separate aspects to consider, deeply interconnected with each other: the CV structure and the CV content.

CV structure

• Besides the summary of your work and education history, roles, experiences and achievements, include a quick overview of yourself (maximum 5 lines) to summarise your expertise, experience, competencies and strengths. Be concise and catchy!
• Keep the CV to two pages maximum
• Avoid long sentences and use bullet points where possible
• Make sure it is well formatted and the layout is clear
• Use standard fonts (size 10 or 12) and avoid colourful characters/papers/backgrounds.
• Read your CV, re-read it again and again. Ask someone else to read it for you. You might have the best experience but a single typo can very easily jeopardize your credibility
• Unless specifically requested otherwise, your resume should be sent as a Word Attachment.

CV content

• Simplicity and clarity: You always know what it is you are trying to communicate but will your read have that clarity as well?
• Celebrate your successes & include metrics: Highlight your accomplishments. The CV is not a job spec, it is not a list of what you do. It is a reflection of what you have accomplished and what your successes have been so that the reader will start having an idea of how you can replicate those successes in their organisations. Make sure you include some metrics.
• Choose powerful words: Use concise and action oriented words to highlight your achievements (for example: accomplished, achieved, completed, created, developed, directed, established, founded, generated, launched, led, managed, organised, performed, redesigned, simplified, succeeded. )
• Select key words: Browse recent online job postings to identify words and phrases that are relevant to hiring managers.
  
  Good luck with pulling your CV together or with refreshing it. And let me know how I can help you further!
  
  Giulia

Job Search - Pill #4 - The Brand called You!

Welcome back to the 4th appointment in our Job Search journey! Just to recap, so far we have been speaking about: Focus, Research and Strengths & Achievements.
And here we are talking about Branding … which brand?

YOURS!

What ever career you currently have or you want to pursue remember that at the same time you held another key role – the Marketing director of a company called Me Ltd. Always bear in mind that in your job search you are selling the best product ever and the product you most have to believe in: YOURSELF!
Make sure you communicate your brand in every single thing that you do (CV and Interviews – more to come here in the next blog entries – stay tuned!) what you say, how you say it).

How do you want people to remember you?

People remember what is Unique (from Latin “unus” - forming the only one of its kind) and Different (from Latin “diversus” – distinct, differing from all others).
What makes you stand out?
What makes you a unique and different professional in our international job search?
Every single one of you, fellow International-aholics, has a chance to build a brand that will be remembered - every single one of you has skills, experience, competencies that will make you stand out. You just have to communicate them!

Good luck and keep on letting me know your thoughts!

Giulia

Job Search - Pill #3 - Strengths, Competencies and Achievements

Welcome back to the Job Search tips series. So far, you know that in order to put in place a successful job search you have to be focussed and research. What’s next? It is now time to identify your core:

3) Strengths, Competencies and Achievements

In essence, what you do well with some examples taken from your past experiences. Write everything down and take a look at your notes at least once a week to make any fine-tuning.
The odds are that you might end up chatting on the train with a potential future employer (a friend of mine actually ended up by total chance sitting next to the CEO of her dream company on a flight home!!) and you want to be ready to clearly articulate what you CAN do and what your RESULTS have been!
So, start thinking and start jotting down your thoughts.

Think of Strengths and Competencies as what makes you so good at what you do. Think of Achievements as some examples of some great results your had in the past. An example?
Strength: Teamwork - working well with others towards shared goals
Achievement: a specific team project which you led and why it was so successful.
So, there you go – now, no wasting time, time to brainstorm and you will see what beautiful story you will start building!

Good luck!
Giulia

Job Search - Pill #2 - Research

Welcome to “pill # 2” in the Job Search tips! Last time, we talked about the important of having focus and being focussed. Discover below the second pill …

2. Research

Research what?? Anything and everything possible around your focus. Have you even seen the Jason Bourne movies? “Rest is a weapon” this was Matt Damon, alias Jason Bourne ‘s mantra for success. For you and your job search - Information is Your weapon!

After you have worked on your focus, you have clear what you want to do in your career. So you have now clear in your mind that you want an international life, where you want to, which organisations you want to target and which jobs you want to get – bottom line, you now have your FOCUS right?

Now is the time to spend days and nights researching – avidly eating and digesting as many information as possible. How is the job market where you want to go? Is your target company recruiting? What are some job boards you can use in that country or in that sector? What are some contacts you can use in your networking (and more to come here in the next blog entries – stay tuned!)?

We live in the Internet era; any information is just a click away – become an expert in your focus area and get ready … get ready for action ... and ... HAVE FUN!!

Take care,
Giulia

Job Search: as easy as counting from 1 to 10

Would you like to just count from 1 to 10 and have a real Job Search strategy that works? Here you are – of course with the always-present International-aholic angle … easier that using the Genie of the Lamp.

I will provide bi-weekly “pills” on how to pull together your Job Search for an International oriented career.

Not currently looking for a job? Keep on eye on it, you might find these “pills” useful for your self-marketing – wherever you are in your career.
If you want to discuss more in depth about your Job Search, feel free to reach out to me at Giulia.Ranzuglia@yahoo.com to explore individual/group international career coaching opportunities.

Enjoy!

1 - Focus

Get focussed to get focus!

Too many job searches fail even before starting. Make sure you know where you want to go and what you want to achieve in your job search. Write that down on a piece of paper and make sure to stick on a visible place where you can see it at least 10 times a day. No kidding – you have to be CLEAR – clear of what kind of job you want to get, what type of organisation, and just for us international-aholics, WHERE in the world you would like to be.
Ane please do remember - Don’t jump into the reality check too soon though – if you want to be a Bollywood film director based out of Mumbai and you are currently the CFO of a London City firm – clearly spell it out, believe in it and keep on follow me as for future tips ...

Stop thinking that you life has been written for you - you write your own life!!!!

But only if you are really focussed that is of course!!

Am I really talking non-sense here? Let me know with your comments!

Take care,
Giulia