Move on Up

If you read any of the blogs or funny stories on the internet about the people who show up for their interviews late, or wearing inappropriate attire, or being rude or clueless, you’ve had a laugh and probably think to yourself that you’d never do any those things.

Yet when you do show up on time, dressed appropriately, and ready for the interview, are you really prepared?
Too many people show up without doing their homework.
Bay Area employers, especially Silicon Valley firms, tend to be a bit different from employers in other parts of the country. They are more demanding and expect their candidates to know what they do and how you will help their mission.

“Tell me what you know about Clorox.” This is a pretty innocuous and safe question, but what do you know about Clorox? Too many times good candidates get tripped up here because they didn’t do any basic research on the company or its leaders. The recruiter or interviewer will think you are either stupid or arrogant, neither one a good thing.
So here are five things you can do easily to prepare for your interview and impress your interviewer.

1. Google the company (and actually read about it!) Also check Wikipedia for the summary and statistics (When founded, industry, number of employees, who the leadership team is, etc.)

2. What’s the current stock price (and what was it 1, 3 & 5 years ago?) While you may not be asked about the financials, it’s impressive to know some of the basic market trends and if the products or services offered are increasingly in demand or declining (they are a really good DVD/CD manufacturer today, but the future is limited to streaming and on demand, providing dim long term prospects for the company)

3. Do a LinkedIn search on the company. Two things will come out of this:

One – you’ll get real time information on the employees including the current job functions, years experience, educational degrees and universities attended. You can also see what companies many of the current employees came from (see photo).

Two – and more important – you can see who works there who is in your network, or someone who is in your network that knows someone who works there. Contact them and ask about the culture, working environment and if they know your interviewer.

4. Do a Google and LinkedIn search on your interviewer. While it may seem a bit creepy to snoop, you can bet they have already done that on you. Also, people who join LinkedIn are there to find people and be found (isn’t that why you joined?) so it is actually encouraged to learn as much as you can through the service. You may discover that you went to the same high school or worked for the same employer or some other tidbit that will make you memorable after the interview.

5. Have a list of questions about the job and the company. Companies hiring today are looking for people who can solve their problems. Craft questions that show you are an indispensable problem solver (and, by the way, that you know quite a bit about their company from the research you did in items 1 through 4.)

Good luck!

JP McDermott is an insurance and financial coach, a freelance writer on career coaching as well as the SF Insurance Examiner with SF Examiner.com, and has been volunteering his time and experience to various non-profit, service and civic organizations.
JP lives in Danville with his wife Candy.

Check out his LinkedIn profile

Those of you who’ve followed my posts over the past few years know that I’m a big fan of Jason Alba. I have given several LinkedIn seminars and always credit Jason and refer folks to his site. His DVD & book I’m on LinkedIn – Now What are excellent resources for many uses of LinkedIn.

Jason will be coming to the Bay Area at the following venues, dates & times:
Sept 8 – Thursday

(1) EARN Event: 6:30 – 9:30
Shadelands Art Center (111 N. Wiget Lane, Walnut Creek, Ca 94598)
Reservations and Questions: EARNcontracosta@gmail.com
non-members: $10 donation

Sept 10 – Saturday
(2) CPC: 9:00 – 11:30am
Community Presbyterian Church (222 West El Pintado Road, Danville, Ca 94526)

Sept 12 – Monday
(3) GRACEWorks: 9:15 – 10:30am
Grace Cathedral in San Francisco – Wilsey Conference Room (1100 California Street, San Fransisco)

(4) SING St. Isadore: 7:00 – 9:00 pm (inviting CrossWinds Job Networking Group and St Raymond Church)
Cardelli Ministry Center (Across from St. Isidore, Catholic Church – 440 La Gonda, Danville, CA)

Sept 13 – Tuesday
(5) Right Management – Silicon Valley: 10-12noon ???
(6) Right Management – San Francisco Professional Career Network: 1:30 – 3pm
100 California Street, Ste 1300, San Francisco 94111

Sept 15 – Thursday
(7) CSIX Saratoga: 10:30-1pm
Saratoga Federated Church, Richards Hall (20390 Park Place, Saratoga, CA 95070)
(8) Right Management – Silicon Valley: 3:00 – 4:30pm
910 E Hamilton Avenue, Suite 550, Campbell, CA 95008

If you go, be sure and say hello for me!

JP McDermott is an insurance and financial coach, a freelance writer on career coaching as well as the SF Insurance Examiner with SF Examiner.com, and has been volunteering his time and experience to various non-profit, service and civic organizations.
JP lives in Danville with his wife Candy.

Check out his LinkedIn profile

One of the reasons people buy life insurance is to provide for their families should an unexpected death occur. There is an expectation that the policy they bought will be there when it is needed, especially a policy designed to last the life of the insured.

In the San Francisco Bay Area we are seeing more and more old universal and variable life policies that are “blowing up”, meaning the assumptions that were made when they were written no longer apply due to changed financial conditions.
An example is a policy written in 1994 when interest rates were 8%. The premium payment on the universal policy was based on a continuing high rate to provide the face death benefit amount. Unknown to the policy holder, as the rates declined, the amount of premium needed to keep the policy in force increased.
Soon policy holders who made the required payments as indicated were now receiving letters asking for even more payments to keep their policies in force, often many times higher than the original premiums.
Many people ignored these requests and their policies lapsed. What happened?
These strategies on the universal and variable policies were heavily dependent on a continuing strong stock market and increasing interest rates.
As the market is in a very volatile state and has seen three major corrections in the last decade, and our interest rates are at an historically low point – near zero, these policies are lapsing.
What can you do if you have one of these policies?
Contact a licensed life insurance agent and ask for a review and an in-force illustration of the policy. By reviewing the language in the policy, he or she may have some alternative options for you that can preserve some protection for you. One option may be to exchange the old into a new guaranteed policy that will not lapse and have steady premiums for life. That is much better than simply walking away from a failing policy and having no life insurance protection at all.

JP McDermott is an insurance and financial coach, a freelance writer on career coaching as well as the SF Insurance Examiner with SF Examiner.com, and has been volunteering his time and experience to various non-profit, service and civic organizations.
JP lives in Danville with his wife Candy.

Check out his LinkedIn profile

With all the current negative economic news – and it’s everywhere – it’s easy to get very discouraged in your job search. It’s especially demoralizing for those over 50 and out of work for more than 1 year. There’s the Euro crisis with each day bringing a new country whose bondholders are bailing out (Italy yesterday, on top of Greece, Portugal, Spain and Ireland), and today we see that Moody’s is threatening to downgrade the US credit rating, which if it happens, might make it more expensive to borrow. And of course, the August 2nd deadline when the US government goes into default, with all the negative financial disasters that will happen then.

So what can you do about all of this? Nothing. These are forces like gravity that you cannot control, only learn to live with. There was a book many years ago titled Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff – And it’s All Small Stuff by Richard Carlson, and the message is exactly what the title says and it is especially relevant now. You can only worry about the things you can control – your attitude, your health to some degree (diet & exercise) and your relationships with loved ones. These are the important things in our lives that no event or person can ever take away from us unless we let them. So don’t let them.

Being in transition is demoralizing and can absolutely affect our attitudes. Just remember that your attitude is everything and no matter what life throws at us, only we can allow our attitude to change. Picture the “mood elevator” – when you get up each day, you choose which floor you want to go to. You can choose to wallow in the basement, say ‘woe is me’ and be in a state of despair, or you can choose to press the Up Button to the penthouse for the glorious view and be in a state of grace, ease and gratitude.

When we are in that state, we attract people – they want to be around us and we are more open to new opportunities (that we may miss being in the basement.) This is all easy to say, but harder to do. You choose which floor you want to be on each day, and that choice will help or hinder your search. Press the Up Button.

My friend Dean Tracy asks “Are you going to have a great day or do you have other plans?”
What are your other plans?

JP McDermott is a retirement and financial coach, a freelance writer on career coaching as well as the SF Insurance Examiner with SF Examiner.com, and has been volunteering his time and experience to various non-profit, service and civic organizations.
JP lives in Danville with his wife Candy.

Check out his LinkedIn profile

With all the news that the economy is rebounding and companies are again hiring, have you been maybe, kinda sitting on the sidelines waiting for this timing to occur? Well, if you have, are you ready to be hired?
Sure you are, but are companies ready to hire you? Try these 7 tips:

1. Make a Memorable Connection: Before applying for your dream job, find a way to make a memorable connection with the recruiter or hiring manager if possible. There are now lots of ways to sleuth within a company (use LinkedIn, Facebook & Twitter to refine your search for the hiring manager or recruiter) and even before applying, make a call or email the hiring manager and make a connection. How? See the next tip.

2. Add Value: Recruiters and hiring managers are inundated with cover letters and resumes that all look the same and say the same things. You need to stand out. Do some research and find out what type of challenges the company or industry is facing, find some timely, respected article or whitepaper, and send it to the recruiter with a note. Let them know you are the one who can help solve the challenge they face. And after the interview, check in periodically and continue sending timely, relevant articles to stay top of mind.

3. Be Brief and Concise: Too many candidates are like an open fire hydrant – spewing everything they know and have done and what they’ll do and – oh my! Stop. Say what you need to say in less than 30 seconds. Also, rather than tell, show. “My managers loved that I was able to reorganize my team, while also improving the morale and saving $80,000.” This type of statement should elicit a ‘Really? Tell me how you did that.’ comment. Practice what you will say with a friend or partner and remember to be concise.

4. Don’t be Desperate: This is one of the most difficult things to follow after an interview. When should you follow up? How frequently? What do you say? You know you need this job, but the company has their own schedule to follow and it won’t match your in most cases. Be optimistic in your calls and emails. People want to be around optimistic people, so your attitude is critical. Recruiters and hiring managers can smell desperation in your tone – either in your voice or email.
Practice your message you’ll leave on voice mail and reread twice any emails you send. Be positive and expect the offer.

5. Know What Their Time frame is: As mentioned, your urgency does not automatically match their need or timeline to hire. Be prepared for that and make sure you ask what their time frame is to fill the position as well as the steps involved. Smaller companies tend to move quicker, but not be as clear on their hiring process. Large companies are very clear on their process, but can take several months to complete it, if ever. Too many times a candidate will go through the lengthy interview process for several months only to find the company had changed direction, acquired another company that has that resource, or filled the position from within. Be prepared for that.

6: Don’t Assume the Worst… If you haven’t heard back after repeated calls or emails (that’s a lot of articles you’ve been sending!) don’t despair. It is not uncommon that they haven’t made a decision for many reasons and have no progress to report. They may have filled the position with another candidate and after a few months found she was not a good fit and will come back to you. Don’t despair and wait for the phone to ring. Continue your search for other opportunities and keep your attitude positive.

7. And Don’t Expect the Best: But not too positive. Too many candidates who are looking at multiple opportunities have a terrific interview where the hiring manager all but says you’re hired, and you stop the good search activities and wait for the call. Don’t. The call may come, but more likely it won’t, or it won’t in an acceptable time frame. Keep up your good habits and continue to be visible to the recruiters and hiring managers of your target companies. You won’t catch any fish if your line is not in the water.

JP McDermott is a retirement and financial coach, a freelance writer on career coaching as well as the SF Insurance Examiner with SF Examiner.com, and has been volunteering his time and experience to various non-profit, service and civic organizations.
JP lives in Danville with his wife Candy.

Check out his LinkedIn profile

The world keeps changing – not always in good ways. Last December, we were happy to see 2010 leave. The thought of a fresh start was optimistic, signs of an economic recovery beginning to take hold, companies finally starting to hire again, albeit dipping their toes in the water, and just a little bit of optimism creeping into the media.

Many were hired, not always in their dream jobs, but working at last. Those who had given up were starting to come back into the search.

Then the Middle East started rumbling, and the economy paused to see what all this meant. Still pausing, then the horrible triple tragedy occurred in Japan – massive earthquake, deadly tsunami and the nuclear radiation threat.

Should you also be sitting on the sidelines watching, too? Not unless you want to remain a spectator instead of a player.

There is too much pressure on growth for companies not to hire, despite the global distractions. There are too many positive economic fundamentals for us to slide back into a recession. So now is the time to set your goals, find your success team and start getting in front of hiring managers.

The best ways are to use the tools the hiring managers are using: LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and blogs.
There are hundreds of free sources online how to use these in your search, but for a couple of quick ones:

www.Jibberjobber.com

Guy Kawasaki’s 10 Ways to Use LinkedIn to Find a Job

And just some basic common sense in case you’ve forgotten.

1. Beef up your resume by using strong active verbs and numbers that demonstrate results.
2. Write a killer cover letter to explain why you’re a good fit for the job by stating what can not be seen on your resume.
3. Focus your job search by targeting specific companies and/or industries that appeals to your passion.
4. Be smart about social media by cleaning up your online profiles and using Twitter and/or LinkedIn.
5. Ace your interview by learning as much as you can about the company and preparing at least 3 questions.
6. Stay in the game by refreshing your skills or developing new ones.
7. Network your way help open doors and opportunities.

Good luck and remember attitude is everything!

JP McDermott is a financial services and insurance adviser in Walnut Creek, CA. He is also a retirement and financial coach, a freelance writer on career coaching as well as the SF Insurance Examiner with SF Examiner.com, and has been volunteering his time and experience to various non-profit, service and civic organizations.
JP lives in Danville with his wife Candy.

Check out his LinkedIn profile

Being near the cradle of the social media birthplace – Silicon Valley – kind of requires us to be a bit more savvy about using the tools that are out there in the job search. There’s been enough written, blogged, podcasted, and tweeted about the death of the resume, and yet how many of you continue to do the same old things? Search the job boards – Monster, CareerBuilder, Indeed, etc. and apply online. How’s that been working for you?

Here’s a summary of the basic social media sites you should be integrating into your search everyday:

LinkedIn – Right now, with over 70 million members, it is the main source for Fortune 500 recruiters to go for talent. If your profile is not impressing you, be assured the recruiters aren’t going to be impressed either. When you see a job you want on the boards, that’s when to use LinkedIn to research who works there that you are connected to and begin your research.

Facebook – Again, let your personal network know what you are looking for. More jobs will be found through your network than any job ads posted online. Make sure your information is consistent with the “brand” you want to be known for. Also, remove any inappropriate photos, videos or content you wouldn’t want a prospective boss to see. By the way, over 40% of recruiters go to Facebook as part of the background check and have eliminated candidates.

Twitter – This is an underutilized tool for job seekers. By searching for companies you are targeting, you can often get directly in touch with their recruiters and have an opportunity to stand out from the competition. This assumes you have something of value to say, but that’s an article for another time.

Your Own Blog – Do you have knowledge on a particular subject that might be of interest to an employer? Are you a good storyteller? Writing in your own voice on a regular basis will create your web presence, or brand, that will automatically give you an edge over those who are still doing it the old fashioned way.

Lastly, if you’re still doubting that social media is the future (and by the way, it’s here now), check out this video from the Socialnomics folks – it is very cool and will make you think.
Social Media Revolution 2 (Refresh)

For East Bay job seekers, there are many local resources available to help in your search, but as the holidays pass and a new year approaches, just making a resolution to get a job isn’t enough.

For a sure fire process that will get you on the path to achieving your goals (anytime, not just at the new year), try these 6 simple steps.

1. Create and write down a SMART goal (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timebound.) “I want to lose weight” does not cut it. “I will lose 10 pounds through exercise and diet by February 28th” is more like it. Why do we write it down? Without getting all metaphysical, there’s something very powerful about writing down a goal. It’s like programming your subconscious to work on it until it’s achieved. A goal unwritten is simply a wish. And we know how often wishes come true…

2. Write down WHY you want to accomplish this… this is very important to establish the motivation. This is the the benefit of taking action (using the same weight loss goal, the benefits could be something like being healthier, looking better, feeling better, etc.)

3. Write down what happens if you FAIL to reach your goal. How will you feel? This is important for the negative consequences of not reaching your goal. (How does it feel to be a loser?)

4. Now – start writing down the possible obstacles that will keep you from getting it done. One common one is ‘procrastination’. Another might be ‘not enough time’. If you work at this you can think of several obstacles to keep you from your goal.

5. For each obstacle, write down how you will overcome it. Procrastination? Schedule it. Not enough time? Again, put it in your Outlook or on your calendar. (Now what’s your excuse?)

6. Let’s get started – what is the first step you need to take toward your goal? When will you do it? When will this step be completed? This is your action list and by completing this exercise, you’ve just written your ‘plan’ for accomplishing your goal!

You can add a step like visualizing what it will be like to have accomplished your goal. Think back when you worked hard for something, planned it, followed the steps and actually achieved it. How did you feel? There’s not much of a better feeling than accomplishing your goal.

Follow these 6 steps and you’ll be sure to have success at whatever goals you set.

JP McDermott is a financial services and insurance advisor in Walnut Creek, CA. He is also a retirement and financial coach, a freelance writer on career coaching as well as the SF Insurance Examiner with SF Examiner.com, and has been volunteering his time and experience to various non-profit, service and civic organizations.
JP lives in Danville with his wife Candy.

Check out his LinkedIn profile

As mentioned in a previous article this summer, the relief to the unemployed has become the subject of politics. First to go was the Cobra subsidy, then the 99 weeks of unemployment began expiring last week.

Unless you’ve been under a rock since the weekend, you might have heard of the latest tax deal: extend the current Bush Tax cuts in total for two years, patch the AMT trap, extend the capital gains tax at 15% for 2 years, restore the estate tax (now at 0%) to go to 35% (vs. 55% as the default) on anything over $5 Million is assets (vs.$1M as the default.)

And oh, yes – extend the unemployment benefits to about 2.5 million people, or 300,000 in California, for 13 more months.

According to the Sacramento Business Journal, About $3 billion in federal assistance would be issued retroactively to the long-term jobless, with an estimated $30 billion for those remaining without work during the current fiscal year. The average check would be about $300 a week.

This sweeping deal still needs approval by both the House and Senate and for the President’s signature before year end, so the dance continues. Stay tuned!
What would you like to see happen?

JP McDermott is a financial services and insurance advisor in Walnut Creek, CA. He is also a retirement and financial coach, a freelance writer on career coaching as well as the SF Insurance Examiner with SF Examiner.com, and has been volunteering his time and experience to various non-profit, service and civic organizations.
JP lives in Danville with his wife Candy.

Check out his LinkedIn profile

It has been awhile since I posted the popular Top 3 Job Search tips due to some family issues this summer, but it’s time to resume.
This week’s top 3 posts are from Jason Alba, who has been speaking at several East Bay locations this week, Meg Giuseppe
on using LinkedIn, and Seth Godin. First up – Meg has some great advice on using LinkedIn passively in your search. She says:

“You know (or should know) that LinkedIn is an invaluable networking and resource tool for job search and healthy career management. But it’s also one of the best passive job search tools out there. If you build it right, your LinkedIn profile can be your ticket to attracting recruiters and hiring decision makers, most of whom routinely scour LinkedIn to source best-fit candidates.

Did you know that recruiters search LinkedIn in several ways to source talent, including using a paid service called LinkedIn Recruiter? For tips from two experts, and myself, to make your profile search-friendly and attractive to key hiring decision makers, jump over to my post at Executive Career Brand, Executive Job Search: How Recruiters and Employers Find Candidates on LinkedIn.”

Next is our friend Jason Alba writing about Job Search Muscles Sore? My Muscles Are Sore…
He says: “Yesterday we woke up to about a foot of snow. I knew we’d be shoveling snow, but I didn’t realize HOW MUCH…!

I went out with two of my kids and we did our driveway and a neighbor’s driveway, and I felt good about the work we did. I was glad to have my kids there, especially as we did service for our neighbors. I was kind of sore the rest of the day.
And then, OH MY GOSH, this morning I am absolutely SORE! I’m sore in places I haven’t been sore in for I-don’t-remember-when!

This morning as I was limping and hobbling around, I thought about my pathetic muscles and then thought about the hundreds of thousands of job seekers who seem to be limping and hobbling around. In pain. With anguish. I wondered, as my muscles screamed at me, if these job seekers have exhausted their JOB SEARCH MUSCLES.

Maybe their form is bad (like me, shovelling snow, bent over too low and stressing my lower back muscles).

Maybe they do useless stuff (like when we threw snow into the wind, and it came right back onto the driveway).

Maybe they do the wrong thing for too much time (like when my kids where shoveling down a path that wasn’t not part of the plan… fun for them but ultimately useless as they took resources away from the overall task).

Maybe they use the wrong tools (like when I had to use a kid’s snow shovel … my heavens… about 1/4 the width of the shovel I really wanted!).

There’s a reason the job search muscles get sore:

* You may be doing the wrong stuff, as I mention above.
* You may have muscles that need some work, but it’s just natural to go through that pain, initially.

If your muscles are sore for the first reason, figure out how to fix that (do different stuff?).
If your muscles are sore for the second reason, drink a job search protein shake and just keep working – your muscles will get stronger, it will be less painful, and you’ll be more effective and have better endurance.
If you are just getting started in your job search, realize you may have to go through a painful period, but it won’t
always be painful – just jump in, get started and treat yourself right so you can heal and grow throughout the process.”

Last but not least is Seth Godin’s thoughtful and timely A Modern Thanksgiving. He says:
“Wherever you are, you could celebrate Thanksgiving today.

Not the Thanksgiving of a bountiful harvest before the long winter, the holiday of pilgrims and pie. That’s a holiday of scarcity averted. I’m imagining something else…

A modern Thanksgiving would celebrate two things:

The people in our lives who give us the support and love we need to make a difference, and…

The opportunity to build something bigger than ourselves, something worth contributing. The ability to make connections, to lend a hand, to invent and create.

There are more of both now than there have ever been before. For me, for you, for just about all of us.

Thanks for joining me every day, thanks for your support, but most of all, by a longshot, thanks for doing the work, work that matters.”

JP McDermott is a financial services and insurance advisor in Walnut Creek, CA. He is also a retirement and financial coach, a freelance writer on career coaching as well as the SF Insurance Examiner with SF Examiner.com, and has been volunteering his time and experience to various non-profit, service and civic organizations.
JP lives in Danville with his wife Candy.

Check out his LinkedIn profile