Layoff/Self-Esteem/Life Coaching/Relationships
Just had a great couple of sessions yesterday and today helping two individuals overcome obstacles in their lives. Man do I love my work helping people break through!
The first was suffering from huge self-esteem problems after a layoff, despite the fact he had a stellar life and work background. Helped him connect emotionally to his values, accomplishments, skills and goals in life. Also touched the grieving process to notice its impact. Client came around to a fresh perspective about his capabilities/future and what he wanted. He committed to identifying and pursuing 25 companies that matched his values in the next two weeks.
The second person had been drifting through life without purpose, a meaningful relationship, fulfilling work or a nurturing environment. After the third session, he has ended an unhealthy relationship of 4 years, identified values that have helped him gain clarity on life purpose and identified the environment, activities and people who will provide a more nurturing life. Yeah for change!
(This was published with the authorization of the clients involved. Some details have been altered to ensure confidentiality.)
Resume Tips / Tips for Effective Resume Writing
Recently, I helped a client customize her resume and cover letter to a sustainability/green job description. She got an interview with the CEO. After the interview, the CEO said there had been over 2,000 resumes submitted–and her resume came in number one in terms of matching the job requirements.
Surprisingly, many of my clients aren’t aware of one of the most important tips for effective resume writing: customization. Customizing your resume to a prospective employer’s job description is critical in getting you to the top of the list.
In the Bay Area, the average job posting gets well over 1,000 applications. The only way for companies to handle this avalanche is to filter them using software. The software is programmed to select resumes that have the same experience, skills and industry jargon included in the job description.
The first thing you should customize is the objective at the very top of your resume. The objective should include the job title as well as any pertinent work experience. For example, if the title of the job description is “Marketing Manager,” your objective should read something like: “Marketing Manager with 10 years experience looking for position that will leverage my talents.”
This is the beginning of a series of blog posts on resume tips. So please bookmark this blog and come back for more resume writing tips.
Move up, move on, break out! – Cheers, Nick
Entering Through the Back Door: Job Opportunities Do Exist
If you read the recent story in the San Francisco Chronicle, reporting survey results about hiring in Silicon Valley, you’d be pretty discouraged. Here’s the Chronicle’s headline: “Silicon Valley CEOs describe bleak job market.”
The survey, of 148 companies and performed by the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, reported that 4 in 10 companies cut jobs last year. Nearly 42 percent of the companies said they’d cut jobs since January 2008, compared to an average of 12 percent for earlier.
Shall we file this one under “Gloom, Doom,” and buy into the despair? Not so fast. On the flip side, what this survey tells me is that 6 in 10 companies did not reduce their workforces last year. And if you’ve got 42 percent of companies cutting jobs since January 2008, that means 58 percent have not cut jobs.
More to the point: I’ve sat at the table with fellow business executives at 3Com Corporation and Cisco as we made decisions on cutting budgets and headcount. But usually, after the cuts were made, a funny thing would happen. Managers with “special projects” would ask for special consideration to fill one or more all-important new positions.
And so, in my experience, at the moment some employees are being escorted out the front door, new employees are entering quietly through the back door. You could be one of them.
Go for it.
For a complimentary consultation, please call Nick Parham at (415) 602-5595. Or send e-mail to npcoach@gmail.com. I have offices in San Francisco and Silicon Valley.
