On a personal note

Just on a personal note, aside from the work of work, part of my lack of blogging lately is because Figure 8 is keeping me so busy with race season. We've been having some luck this year!

And if I could just get him to quit breaking the cars, I might have time to blog!

Check out the highlights at Figure 8's Blog and Unique Motor Sports.

The Definitive Job Hunt - Part 1

Rowan Manahan, from Fortify Your Oasis, has tapped me to be part of his online collaboration: “The Definitive Guide to Clearing Job-Hunt Hurdles”.

I am supposed to provide the “Headhunter” perspective on the job hunt, and I must tell you, it’s not a pretty picture. We are the job hunt professionals, and everyday I see job seekers that are clearly job hunt amateurs; failing about in a see of classified ads and online job boards, without direction or strategy.

Rowan has outlined 5 hurdles in the process - I’ve decided I can address at least four of them, beginning with:

Step 1: Pick your target and research, research, research!

When you enter into a job search, it’s for a reason. You are likely unhappy in your current role, or you aren’t working. Either way, you should approach your search methodically.

Do not, I repeat DO NOT, send your resume around willy-nilly in response to every position that even remotely relates to your experience. We don't take these applicants seriously, on a very rare occasion we might have a "hey she'd be good for that other position" moment. But corporate recruiters are often so focused on their functional areas, that this kind of sharing just doesn't happen.

Besides, nothing bothers me more than wading through hundreds of resumes from people who clearly did not read the qualifications of a job posting. Yes, there is often wiggle room in requirements, but if your life’s work to this point has been picking blueberries your unlikely to be qualified for my Director of Engineering position. Don't waste my time.

Picking a Target:
Establish the criteria that make up your ideal new job; doing so will help you test your own commitment to making a job change. You have some serious decisions to make here:

• What do you want out of a new job?
• Are you really willing to relocate for a new job? (Is your family??)
• Would you consider taking a step back in salary for a job that offered more growth opportunity?

Identify where these opportunities exist. STOP!! I did not say go to Monster or CareerBuilder and start applying for jobs! Take a few minutes to think about your skills, and in which companies or industries are these skills most valuable. Develop an understanding of the market for people with your skill set and level of experience.

Research:
Identify potential employers within your target industry and research each company thoroughly. Learn about their history, their products, their track record and their plans for the future.

Learn about the typically salary ranges you can expect in these types of positions.

Act:
ALWAYS evaluate any opportunity against that set of criteria your first developed. Then aggressively market yourself to the companies and positions in which you have an interest. This does not mean just sending your resume by email in response to an online job ad. This means make an effort to introduce yourself to the hiring authority within your functional area and address how your skills can benefit the organization. (Hint: Many job postings will give you the position title to which the job reports – if you can contact that individual you are two steps ahead already!)

My Professional Plug:
Working with a professional search firm can help give you an inside track on much of this information. And a good recruiter can market you to your target employers.

Next Step: Representing yourself in writing.

Still alive and kicking (somewhere under all these resumes!!)

I did not drop off the face of the earth… instead I have been completely overwhelmed with work and (imagine that!) haven’t found time for my diversionary blogging!

Fortunately, the amount of work we’ve been doing is paying off and we are having a banner year! We’ve achieved 84% of our yearly revenue goal and surpassed last year’s total revenue, and we’re just over half-way through the year!

What’s making for such a good year? Obviously we have a great team, and we’ve all been working hard. But I think in addition, we’ve put together some interesting, unusual and fun incentives for the team.

Now, we can’t always control when a deal will close, so the incentives here (I think) have more to do with keeping the team focused on the goal, and making sure that we’ve got enough “in the works” to make our goals.

Here are some of the incentives we’ve had this year:

• Cash bonuses in the $100-250 range
• Dinner out for the entire company and their significant others
• Extra “casual days” for the team (including a “Casual Month”!)
• A “tubing” trip for the company (including a Friday out of the office!)

So, here’s to my co-workers for the great year so far… and remember keep it up! Congratulations! Your hard work is appreciated by all of those around you! (Especially since if we meet that yearly goal before December 1, we'll all be taking the week between Christmas and New Year off!)