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I LOVE the movie "Office Space" - a lot (seriously - why are fax machines so tricky??).  And let's face it - it can be easy to slump ourselves into work letting the world around us take over.  And why shouldn't we be sad/mopey/sleepy (or any of the other 7 dwarfs) - just turn on the television.  Tiger Woods - bad guy.  Healthcare - not reformed.  Unemployment - still pretty bad.  Job hunting - pretty brutal.    

Case in point:  One of my dearest friends this week made a video reel to apply to a job - apparently we're "there" in terms of competition and difficulty.  But I have to hand it to her - it was inventive and she was taking BYOBM to the next level and beyond!  And to top it off - she had a blast.  

I will say this:  There is nothing worse than a sad, frustrated co-worker/friend/family member.  It brings everyone down.  So - Here are my tips for keeping your sanity during the winter months.  And be prepared - these are not the normal "imagine yourself on a beach" tips:

1.    Start each day by listening to a commercial from Bud Light's Real Men of Genius campaigns.  I listen to one everyday and have to say - I DIE LAUGHING.

2.    Watch this commercial.

3.    Make your FAVORITE breakfast before work.  Yes you'll have to get up early but seriously - chocolate chip pancakes ALWAYS put me in a good mood.  (Or on the flipside - bring your favorite lunch to work - it will make your morning fly by - Thanksgiving Sandwich anyone?)

4.    Watch a little kid walk down the street.  There is always something uplifting about watching a kid attempting not to step on cracks while wearing GIGANTIC winter boots that makes me chuckle to myself.

5.    If you're a woman, wear a headband to work.  You'd be surprised how many compliments you receive.  Really want to up your game?   Wear a new shade of lipgloss AND a headband.  WATCH OUT WORLD!

6.    If you're a man, wear a brightly colored shirt that you typically wouldn't wear - again - you'd be surprised how many people walk up to you and say "hmmmm.. something is different today."

7.    Attempt a game of Wii boxing before work.  It's hilarious and will get your heart rate up.  Did I mention hilarious?  

8.    Sing along loudly to a Billy Joel song (or Black Eyed Peas.... Or Lady Gaga - my 6 month old nephew LOVES Poker Face) while in your car and don't quiet down or stop when you see someone watching.  You will chuckle about it all day.  Want to up your game?  Wink at your audience and hold out your imaginary thumb microphone as if to say "Want to be my backup singer?"

We'll get through it - seasons change.  Jobs will get better.  And if we can have a laugh or enjoy ourselves more in the interim I say - What do you have to lose?

Over here at Aquent we value the amazing Talent we represent and we also recognize that they in fact are the true experts in their fields (SME, if you must) and are far more connected than we can ever hope to be.

So during the past few months we've been developing a referral system that "pays it forward" and hopefully gets everyone more jobs and some extra money to boot!

A couple weeks ago we started offering cash to Aquent Talent based on a point system. We have two different avenues for folks, one is to refer other awesome Talent to us and the other is to refer potential job openings to us. (This last one pays big and fast!)
 
I was excited about this new referral program (we call it Aquent Rewards) and started shouting about it from the rooftops. But I started to notice a trend: People often responded to enthusiastic pitch with a,  "Yeah, that's nice and all, but I really just want a job of my own. I'm not really in the mood to send you names or job openings."

Fair enough. And I do get it. As a company, we want to find an exciting job for every one of our Talent as well!

All this got me thinking about how the referral program impacts people in a way other than the cash that they get. Then I started thinking about karma.

Wikipedia tells me that Karma means a "deed" or "act", or more broadly, names the universal principle of cause and effect, action and reaction that governs all life. If Karma can make things right and good for people like Earl J. Hickey, why can't it work for other folks?

Let me lay it out for you:
 
How exactly would this good job karma thing work?

Case study #1 (talent referral)
You have a friend/acquaintance that is an incredible Online Marketer
You login to your My Aquent  account and submit your friend/aquaintence to us
We call* your referral
 If we place that person, you start accruing good job karma points (and Aquent referral points = $)
 
Case study #2 (business referral)
You are sitting at work, working.
You overhear that the online marketing team (or interactive, marketing, graphic design,) needs someone and they are thinking of hiring.
You login to you're My Aquent  account and submit any information you know about the job and hiring manager's name.
We call* that hiring manager and help them fill that job.
If we fill that job you rack up FAT good job karma points (and Aquent business referral points =$$$)
 
Karma Bonus:
If you send us a business referral and the talent referral that can fill that job, you go straight to nirvana and collect a large sum of Aquent referral bonus points = $$$$$$$$$
 


So let's go back to the initial problem; "Yeah, but I just want a job of my own"

By you building your good job karma and others building up their good job karma, there's a good chance that you will get to work at that job of your dreams - the job someone else recommended.

And heck, the fact that you get points (and cash) for recommending people doesn't hurt, does it?

A former Australian Prime Minister is famously quoted as saying, "life wasn't meant to be easy". Some days I feel the same can be said for recruiting! When you're trying to build your team, getting the right people on board is crucial. 

Picture this... you've conducted a couple of interviews with a candidate that you believe has great potential - you've even taken them out for an informal chat over coffee to get to know them better.  And of course you (or the recruitment specialist you're working with) have conducted thorough reference checks.

You're feeling pretty confident with your selection yet getting the preferred candidate to understand exactly what's required in a role can be difficult until they are actually on your payroll.  Is there anything else you can do to make sure the fit is right, from both a skill and corporate cultural perspective?

Yes there is!  It's called shadowing.  It's a technique often employed by schools and universities to expose students to real world environments and there's no reason that members of industry and commerce can't implement the same process.

If your future employee is willing and able, invite them to join you for half a day or a full day if time permits.  Let them shadow someone in the department that they are likely to work in and see what sort of things they will be expected to do. You're not asking the potential employee to actually do any work, just observe what is going on.  Introduce them to some of their future team mates and let them get a feel for the organization too. This will give you, the employer, and the candidate/future employee an excellent opportunity to gain further insights and make sure there is a great fit.

Obviously this won't work for all roles and there may be risks associated with it - getting a confidentiality agreement signed beforehand may be advisable. On the whole though it can be the extra step in the process that makes recruitment a whole lot easier and eliminates some stress. Maybe you can even disprove the former PM's statement and enjoy that elusive 'easy' life!

"The same things win. It doesn't matter where you coach them. The game's the same." Mike DuBose
"If you're bored with life - you don't get up every morning with a burning desire to do things - you don't have enough goals."  Lou Holtz
"Confidence is contagious. So is lack of confidence."  Vince Lombardi
"You have to perform at a consistently higher level than others. That's the mark of a true professional."  Joe Paterno
"You can't get much done in life if you only work when you feel good."  Jerry West

Recently in a role-play, during the critique portion, my facilitator pauses and says to me "Do you realize how often you coach during a recruiting call?"  At first I thought "OH CRAP.. is that bad??"  She assured me it was not and expanded by stating that by coaching - I'm adding value to the conversation,  giving something to the candidate, and overall, building rapport, trust, and becoming partners in the process.    And I realized - business coaching and sports coaching  - potato potato.  My forte is resume revision and portfolio review - I LOVE helping the talent create something that on paper - accurately helps reflect their work.  Let's be honest - you only get one chance to make a first impression.  

How often are we recruiters/agents/head hunters out there "coaching" our talent.  How often are we helping them realize their strengths, helping them realize how best to showcase those strengths, etc?  

What are your best coaching tips/tricks?

As a talent/candidate, what types of coaching would you enjoy or would you find beneficial?

God do I hate resumes.

Distilling your entire career into one page? 
Maybe two pages if you have over 5 years experience? 
12++ pages if you're a C++ Developer?
Creating a first impression on paper?
Engaging an audience of one from a sea of other resumes?

You have a 30 second window to convince the reader to spend another 30 seconds reading more.  And don't get me started on cover letters.

The problem is there are no silver bullets, golden rules or magic tricks.  Anyone that tells you they exist is selling you something.  Your resume is ultimately only as good as the pair of eyes reading it.

The biggest favor you can do for yourself is abandon the old rules, start fresh and create a document you're proud of.  That way you're at least assured to please your most important critic, yourself.

Let's tackle this practically speaking.  You're more likely re-writing an existing resume than you are writing a resume for the first time, right?  Wrong.  

Every time you think it's worth your time to write a new resume, WRITE A NEW RESUME.  Don't slap a bandage on the old one.  If you add a new paragraph every time you complete a new position your resume is going to sound iterative.  Like a collection of snapshots.  Unrelated, unstrategic, where's that next resume again...?

If it's time to update your resume, it's time to re-evaluate your goals, reflect on how you've evolved and apply all of that to your resume.  BTW, if you haven't grown in your last role? 

That might explain why you're looking for a new job.*

From there, redefine the purpose of your resume.

Your resume is NOT about the work you've done.  
It's about the work you want someone to hire you TO DO.

Your resume is a marketing piece; your annual report, your homepage, an iPhone app all about you.

You need to aim this tool at the right audience and orient it to meet their needs.  You know what this means?  You're not just writing a resume.  You're writing multiple resumes.

Most job searches include a variety of roles.  If yours does not, see above.*

Do you want to create a blanket resume that encompasses all of your experience or do you want to create a line of sight right through your career that leads the reader to the conclusion, This person solves my problem!  If you carpet bomb with your resume you're going to get the sloppy results that follow.

One final thought.  Tie everything to revenue that you possibly can.  In this economy, more than ever, you want to help the employer see how you've enabled your previous employers to either generate or save money whenever possible.  These numbers are often available to you; most folks just don't think to collect the data.  

If you're a designer and you brought projects in ahead of a deadline with fewer revisions, how much money did that save your client?  
If you're a copywriter, how did enrollments increase after your brochure was shipped?  
If you're a project manager, how did your procedural adroitness impact the bottom line?

If you can insulate your already impressive experience and skills with some impressive numbers you make a critical double impression.  First, look at the money you saved/generated for your last employer, wow!  Second, this candidate was savvy enough to think to include this information, now that's impressive...

Lastly:

I assume you have references available upon request, if not.*

No one cares what you did in high school, no one cares about your hobbies and interests, no one wants to see a picture of you on your resume.

That's why they have Facebook.  

That's a whole other story.

I was surprised to hear a client say recently that the downturn in the economy was good from a staff retention perspective as there weren't many other jobs out there to tempt his team members away.  Now I'm an optimistic, glass half full, kind of girl and the negativity in the statement made me go "whoa!!"

I'm a great advocate of creating great work environments and developing positive staff retention strategies.  Fear however does not classify as a leading strategy in my book. I decided therefore to turn our discussion into more positive territory and shared with him the concept of "Stay Interviews". 

Most large organisations conduct "exit interviews" when an employee has decided to leave the company.  At this point in time -  when it's usually too late to do anything about it - a great deal of intelligence is gathered about what could and should have been done differently in order to keep the employee there. Now I know we don't always want to keep every employee but if you have shining stars in your team, isn't it better to find out this information whilst they are still there and still happy?

Don't just implement this in your performance review procedures.  Think about who your key team members are, the ones you really don't want to lose. Take them out for a coffee and a chat. Ask them why they come to work every day.  What do they like about your organisation and their role? What do they like about your management style? And of course, ask the harder questions too. What can you do to make sure they stay engaged? Often employees leave a company because they feel they are not valued. Sometimes it's a mere case of no-one asking them to stay.  Don't lose your people through lack of communication.   Speak up... NOW! Happy chatting!

I was flicking through a magazine while sitting in the waiting room at my osteopath earlier in the week, and came across an article on the primary causes of chronic back pain (which I have unfortunately become too accustomed to of late!).

Now whilst I know that the cause of my own back pain is simply the result of two slipped discs in my lower lumber spine (too much information perhaps?), I was intrigued to read that the two most common causes for the equivalent level of (often quite excruciating) discomfort can be moving house and changing jobs.

Having been actively involved in helping people change jobs (and careers) for many years now, I have always known that the process of applying for a new role, interviewing and then ultimately starting in a new position can certainly be a mentally stressful period. However I wouldn't have put two and two together to think that such mental stress could also leave someone experiencing such levels of physical pain.

So I asked my osteo what he thought about it, and he was adamant that it was true. He quite simply recommended that if you are feeling mentally drained or anxious by the prospect (or process) of changing jobs, then you should immediately ensure that you are stretching your back (and neck) for 20 - 30 minutes every day. This will help prevent any unnecessary related spasms or snaps which could see you on the torture table at an osteo, physio or chiro begging them to help relieve your pain.

Just remember, stretching will help you through the stresses of changing jobs and have you back on deck in no time ... pardon the pun!

Image courtesy of: filipe ferreira

This morning I received one of those motivational e-mails from a friend of mine in Hong Kong. It was entitled Violinist in the Metro and told the story of a musician playing the violin in a Washington DC Metro Station on a cold January morning in 2007. Apparently he played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time approximately two thousand people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.

After three minutes a middle-aged man noticed there was musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried up to meet his schedule. After four minutes the violinist received his first dollar tip - a woman threw the money in to the hat and without stopping continued to walk.

At the six-minute mark a young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, but then looked at his watch and started to walk again. After ten minutes a three-year old boy stopped but his mother tugged him along, hurried but the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. All the parents, without exception, forced them to move on.

During the 45 minute performance only six people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money but continued to walk at their normal pace. The musician collected a grand total of $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

No one knew this but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the best musicians in the world. He had played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars.

Two days prior, Joshua Bell had sold out at a concert hall in Boston where tickets had averaged $100 per seat.

This is a real story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organised by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and priorities of people.

The questions raised included:

• In a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour do we perceive beauty?
• Do we stop to appreciate it?
• Do we recognise the talent in an unexpected context?

One of the possible conclusions from this experience could be that if we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing the best music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments, how many other things are we missing?

So my question to anyone interviewing talent for their business is whether you can ever really detect a candidate's true potential during interview? Look beyond the 45 minute time slot you have allocated to make your decision. Look beyond the résumé that sums up their career history and appreciate and recognise what the person in front of you may be able to bring to your business in the long run.

Image courtesy of: takacsi75

This post was contributed by long-time Aquent veteran, Julie Hiipakka. Here's a picture of Julie with her cat.

Whether or not you're one of those people who's been to a Sound of Music Sing-a-Long-a (if you are one of those people, I'm secretly jealous, because I am not), it might surprise you to learn that the timeless wisdom of the Von Trapp Family saga actually relates to your 2009 job hunt. Go figure!

Lesson Number One: Climb Every Mountain!

Leave no stone unturned! Go the extra mile! Give 110%! You've got to do everything in your power to get your next gig because, frankly, your competition is already doing everything in their power to get that same gig. Here's a few things you may not (yet) be doing:

* Pick up the phone and call (yes, call, not email) people. Ask them to refer you to people who are hiring or people who in your industry. Then call those people. You have to get the word out that you're looking. If your entire personal network (family, friends, Facebook pals, drinking buddies) is not aware you're on the job market, get over yourself and tell them.

* Invite people to breakfast and learn how they got to be successful at what they do. Then, get them to refer you to people who are hiring. You'd be astonished at how these non-interviews eventually lead to job offers.

* Follow up at every stage. Send a "thank you" note, offer to show work samples (that goes for you, too, Ms. Marketing Manager), offer to provide references. And after you've done all that, find out what else you need to do to show that you're better than the other people they're considering. Then show them that!

Lesson Number Two: The Reverend Mother was right.