Articles

(Press any article title to read a synopsys)

Perils Of Employment: Are You About To Be Let Go?

How To Survive A Job Loss

Are You Ready For A New Career?

Discontentment In The Workplace

Does Your Resume Lack Vision?

Do You Need Help Writing A Winning Cover Letter?

Job Seeker Pitfalls vs. Strategies That Work

Should You Seek Temporary Or Contractual Employment While Searching?

Using Recruiters: How To Get A Step Ahead Of The Crowd

Your Value Proposition: Critical Component To A Successful Job Search

The Hidden Job Market: Real or Imagined?

Effective Networking Skills: Taking Your Job Search To A Whole New Level

Preparing For Your Interview: What You Need To Know To Be Successful

Interview Questions: How To Stump The Interviewer

Interview Skills That Attract Offers

Your Salary: What Are You Worth?

Job Offer Negotiations: Getting What You Want

Counter-Offers: Do They Merit Consideration?

Does Retirement Fit Into Your Busy Schedule?

Executive Career Marketing: Your Next Step?

Work From Home Businesses: A Viable Option?

Article Synopses

Perils Of Employment: Are You About To Be Let Go?

Article Synopsis: Termination of employment is an inescapable fact of life. Where you can benefit is from recognizing the tell-tale signs that you are about to be let go, and adopting a psychological stance that will carry you through to your next career position.

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How To Survive A Job Loss

Article Synopsis: Being unemployed for most people is a very stressful period. But if you allow these emotions to overwhelm you, you will not be able to hold the focus you need to run a successful job search. This article points the way.

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Are You Ready For A New Career?

Article Synopsis: Too many people are in careers that are not enjoyable. This affects relationships at home and many other areas of life. Are you ready for a change? This article discusses your choices and likely outcomes.

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Discontentment In The Workplace

Article Synopsis: Not only are people experiencing a challenging job search, there is rampant discontent and frustration in the workplace once employment is found. Discover the sources of this trend, and see what can be done to alleviate this phenomenon.

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Does Your Resume Lack Vision?

Article Synopsis: Are you submitting your resume to countless job postings yet responses have not been forthoming? Your resume may lack vision. In this insightful article, you will learn the importance having a vision plays in your resume, the steps you can take to inject this into your resume and the results you can expect.

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Do You Need Help Writing A Winning Cover Letter?

Article Synopsis: Many job seekers assign low priority to a cover letter. In fact, the best written resume will not go far if your cover letter is poorly written or worse, nonexistent. This article explores what it takes to produce a cover letter that will open doors.

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Job Seeker Pitfalls vs. Strategies That Work

Article Synopsis: A job search can be a challenging and frustrating process. You will come up against many obstacles on your path to your next job, each one needing to be overcome. This article explores the many strategies you can use to more effectively move your job candidacy forward.

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Should You Seek Temporary Or Contractual Employment While Searching?

Article Synopsis: There's no way to know how long you will be unemployed. It could last six weeks or as long as six months. To alleviate financial concerns and keep busy, more and more job candidates are taking temporary or contractual positions during their search period. Read this article to find out if it makes sense for you to take on temporary employment.

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Using Recruiters: How To Get A Step Ahead Of The Crowd

Article Synopsis: Recruiters are in business to help companies find people, which means they do not work for you. In spite of this, recruiter relationships can be invaluable to you in your search efforts and must therefore be established. This article explores the strategies that can be used to take advantage of this valuable resource.

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Your Value Proposition: A Critical Component To Having A Successful Job Search

Article Synopsis: This article defines and discusses a critical ingredient every job seeker needs to be successful. Without this component, you will not perform as well in your job search efforts.

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The Hidden Job Market: Real or Imagined?

Article Synopsis: To propel your job search into new territory, you need to locate the unadvertised job opportunities. Few job seekers know how to tap this hidden job market. This article explores the best ways of tapping into this goldmine.

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Effective Networking Skills: Taking Your Job Search To A Whole New Level

Article Synopsis: Networking is a critical component in every job search, yet most candidates shy way from this powerful strategy. You can literally network your way into your next job. This article explores what networking is, and how to take advantage of this extremely crucial job search technique.

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Preparing For Your Interview: What You Need To Know To Be Successful

Article Synopsis: Many job candidates finally get to the interview phase of their job search, and then fail miserably. Success at the interview is directly related to your level of preparation. Prepare well and your chances of progressing toward a job offer are improved significantly. In this article, we explore the various elements of interview preparation and how to succeed where most fail.

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Interview Questions: How To Stump The Interviewer

Article Synopsis: Intelligent responses to typically asked questions will impress the interviewer; however, your own questions will impress even more. This article provides a sampling of questions on both sides of the fence.

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Interview Skills That Attract Offers

Article Synopsis: You may feel you've expertly prepared for your interview by researching the company and practicing your responses to likely asked questions. After the interview, you may even think it went well. But you don't hear back. This article discusses what you need to do during your interview to achieve a positive outcome.

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Your Salary: What Are You Worth?

Article Synopsis: How often in a job search do you stop and consider salary and worth? In this economy, most candidates are thrilled just to be offered employment. In this article, the value of knowing your worth and how you can use that knowledge to your advantage is explored.

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Job Offer Negotiations: Getting What You Want

Article Synopsis:  Most job candidates fail to negotiate their compensation package. Your job search tends to be over once you receive the offer. You could be leaving quite a bit of money on the table. This article explores the rationale behind negotiating your offer and the potential outcome this opportunity affords.

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Counter-Offers: Do They Merit Consideration?

Article Synopsis: A counter-offer may be very enticing when faced with the choice of leaving your company to start a job elsewhere or maintaining the status quo. It certainly can be very uplifting to the ego. Can the obvious monetary advantage override the reason you decided to make a change in the first place? This article explores the pros and cons of this common scenario.

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Does Retirement Fit Into Your Busy Schedule?

Article Synopsis: It's a question every employee asks themselves at some point in their career. Considering the steady increase in job stress over the years, this question is being asked sooner rather than later. This article takes a look at different aspects of retirement and some options that can be explored.

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Executive Career Marketing: Your Next Step?

Article Synopsis: Executive Career Marketing and Management companies have mushroomed in the last fifteen years. Their brochures claim extensive benefits to executive job candidates, and the advantages of using their fee service. Does this approach make sense? Find out in this article.

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Work From Home Businesses: A Viable Option?

Article Synopsis: Many people look at a work at home scenario as a welcome alternative to the daily stressors that are an integral part of having a "real" job. Yet most are challenged to come up with anything significant because they lack home based business ideas. This article explores the idea of working from home and how you can succeed with this next career step.

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The Perils of Employment:

Are You About to be Let Go?

David Richter, President
TopDog Group

From the moment you are born and you take your first breath, you begin to die.

It's just a fact of life. And to illustrate another truth: From the day you are hired by a company, you move closer to the day you will move on. This is either a natural occurrence or a purposeful severing of ties.

Statistics show that the average person will hold at least ten to twelve different jobs in what would nonetheless be seen as an illustrious career. Moving from one job to the other is a natural progression, each job or situation representing a stepping stone to the next. The bottom line is that staying in one job for your entire career is not to be expected.

Having said that, we can look at being let go as a positive experience. It is a way of moving along your career in a very decisive way. There are many reasons for moving on such as being downsized or terminated. Regardless of the reason, being free to make a new career move is a positive condition which leads you to your next step.

So what are the signs that you are about to be terminated? It can be any one or a number of the following:

• A subordinate questions your responsibilities
• Your boss is micromanaging you
• Some tasks are being taken away
• Your appraisal is rescheduled to an earlier date
• Your boss is taking more notes
• You're receiving written feedback
• You haven't received a raise in awhile
• Your boss is observing you more than usual
• Your company is downsizing

When you begin to see signs that you are on the cutting block, rather than begin an emotional reaction that doesn't serve you, see it for what it is. It is time to move on. Your next step awaits you. Begin to explore your career options. Don't wait until the axe comes down. Be proactive and determine your best next steps. Then, when you are let go, it can be cause for celebration. You have successfully completed this phase of your career, and now it's on to the next. It is a natural progression. It is purposeful. You are exactly where you need to be. You are on your way to the next successful phase of your career, and life.

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How To Survive A Job Loss

David Richter, President
TopDog Group

Has this ever happened to you: You have been working at a particular job for a few years. It's not the greatest job and it hasn't always allowed you to capitalize on your unique gifts or talents. But it's ok, and it pays the bills. The job has become a part of your life's routine.

Then one day, without any forewarning, you're let go. In what seems like a split second, you go from being gainfully employed to joining the ranks of the unemployed. It's a shock to the system.

A tremendous level of stress can accompany being unemployed. You're certainly affected by the loss of income. You may also have a related drop in your level of confidence. Your unemployment may be impacting your home life and personal relationships. There may be a degree of depression that you are dealing with. You may be harboring lingering resentments toward those people responsible for your layoff.

Finding a job is challenging enough; if you bring these emotions into your job search efforts, you will be placing yourself in a very disadvantageous position. You need to be clear-headed and focused to move yourself forward. You must find a way to bring yourself into a more balanced state.

Realizing that you are not alone may be a good first step. Renewing or maintaining friendships is another. Appreciating yourself in every way possible goes a long way. Relaxation exercises, deep breathing, yoga, meditation, working out, and eating healthier foods can make you feel a lot better about yourself.

These steps can help you move past any negative emotions and toward a much healthier mental state. Having a clear and positive vision for yourself and your future may be the icing on the cake needed to launch your job search process and move you quickly in the direction of obtaining your career goals.

You need to know that you will get through this. You will get on the other side of it. It may take some time, and it may not be the most comfortable period in your life. But your willingness to move forward and your intention to stay on track will invariably lead you to the next phase of your career, and life.

Remember, when one door closes, a better and brighter one opens in its place. When a layoff occurs, know that you invariably will face new opportunities that can truly transform your life.

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Are You Ready For a New Career?

David Richter, President
TopDog Group

Do you dread the prospect of coming into work every day? Do you look back on your work day as you travel home and cannot seem to find a fulfilling moment? If you answered yes, read on.

You could be unhappy with your supervisor; you may not like the politics or corporate culture; or you may not like the industry you are in. You may also feel that you are underpaid, underutilized, undervalued or unappreciated. You may not have sufficient opportunities for career advancement; or perhaps you are feeling overworked. These are all common experiences among employees.

What are your choices?

If you love what you do, if you get motivated and excited in a particular field of interest, if you can put your arms around a career with enthusiasm and gusto, then you have found your passion and you will experience fulfillment and joy daily.

You will look forward to work each day. On your drive home, you will find yourself looking back on your day and smiling.

Give yourself the opportunity to create something better for yourself. Explore your options fully. There is no need to settle or go through a process of elimination to end up with only one career choice. Why limit yourself?

A good place to start could be in the areas you have delved in the past. If you engaged briefly in a particular project that you thoroughly enjoyed, then you have a skill and experience that can be leveraged into an entirely new career.

You can also avail yourself of the many career assessment programs and free personality tests found on the Internet. One such assessment tool is MAPP. It's free and takes about fifteen minutes to complete. The results are quite revealing. Click here to go to their website.

Many people have gone through career transitions. These are successful people, happy with their new careers, and enjoying and loving what they are doing. They made a choice to become a career builder and make a better life for themselves. So can you.

Give yourself the gift of a career you can get enthusiastic about which utilizes your special talents and unique gifts. Follow your passion; you will thank yourself over and over again.

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Discontentment In The Workplace

David Richter, President
TopDog Group

An ever increasing number of employees are experiencing discontent and frustration. In most cases it can be condensed down to four factors: feeling undervalued, unappreciated and powerless, and world events.

You can possess a tremendous amount of creativity and skill, but if you aren't given opportunities to utilize and express these qualities to their fullest, frustration can quickly set in. For most employees, there is a huge differential between what they can bring to the table and the responsibilities they have been given.

It's rare that you hear of someone working a forty-hour week. These days, fifty and sixty-hour weeks have become commonplace. What hasn't changed is your compensation. Working a sixty-hour week yet getting paid for forty can feel out of balance. It's certainly not conducive to feeling appreciated.

If you are a manager, this may sound familiar: You are given responsibility over a project and direct reports, yet you have not been given the authority to produce positive change. As a result, you feel powerless. It's similar to being the commander of a ship with tremendous responsibility, yet not allowed to enforce any rules or have any control over the environment.

World events have a pronounced effect on our emotions and the way we tend to approach life. It's been said that a butterfly flapping its wings in one part of the world affects life around the globe. We are all interconnected. To look at the current state of increasing discontent and frustration among employees everywhere as an isolated event may not be an accurate reflection of reality.

A transformation is needed in the way employers view (and respect) their employees, and in the shaping of world events, for a reduction in employee frustration to occur. A prevailing reason many people decide to go into business for themselves is because this transformation has not yet occurred. Despite the problems inherent in entrepreneurship and lingering world tensions, being able to express your creativity to the fullest and having greater control of your destiny speaks well to the self-employed scenario.

We should not give up looking for ways to mitigate employee frustration. The larger effort can engage us in the process of relating to one another with greater respect, trust and honor. Then we can begin the transformation in our professional and private lives to that which is profound and wonderful.

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Does Your Resume Lack Vision?

David Richter, President
TopDog Group

You're just getting over the shock of having become unemployed. You know you need to begin a job search, but you may not know the best way to proceed, or where to start.

More than likely, you will dust off your old resume and modify it to include your most recent job experience. Most people search the classifieds and Internet job sites for job openings matching their qualifications. They then submit their resumes to these postings. You will probably do the same with your modified resume.

If you follow this routine, you will very likely experience a long and frustrating job search. At the end of this exhausting journey, you will find yourself in a job that doesn't truly capitalize on your unique gifts or talents, nor compensates you according to your worth. Most job seekers go through this.

The job market is especially lean for higher paying positions, yet flooded with good candidates. Your competition is huge and not about to go away. In this climate, mediocrity will not bring you success. You must take a different path. The best place to start is with a vision.

What is your vision for yourself? Imagine some of the unique and fulfilling qualities your next job can have. What unique gifts and talents can you bring to the table that set you apart from the crowd and make this next job all the more enjoyable? Write all this down. You are learning how to write a resume that will yield very positive results.

This is truly an opportunity for you to look at your career from a fresh perspective. By translating your vision and differentiating qualities into a new resume, you are giving yourself an opportunity very few job seekers experience.

Your resume will spark the interest and grab the attention of the employer reading it. You will gain immeasurably as you stand head and shoulders above your competition, get called for the right interviews and receive financially healthy offers.

A successful job search starts with a powerful vision for yourself and your career, and a strong, well-written resume that reflects that vision. Be creative with this. Hold yourself to no boundaries. Allow your imagination to soar. Your efforts will pay off handsomely.

If you would like to have your resume and cover letter written professionally, by the experts, then scroll down to the bottom of the screen and press the Job Search tab.

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Need Help Writing A Winning Cover Letter?

David Richter, President
TopDog Group

Your cover letter is critical to your success. It sets the tone. It is read before your resume and includes vital information about you that every potential employer needs. If you don't have a cover letter, or if you have one that is poorly written, you're setting yourself up for failure. Knowing the crucial elements of a cover letter is imperative to getting in doors and moving your candidacy forward.

Your cover letter must function as a roadmap leading the reader from start to finish. It must be created with one thought in mind - to get you noticed. It must invite, it must compel, it must drive the reader to a very specific conclusion: 'This candidate is qualified; in fact, not only qualified, but the best fit for the position.'

Your resume will then be read. If your resume is as powerful as your cover letter, an interview will be scheduled. So how should a winning cover letter be constructed?

There are a number of ways to actually begin the letter. You could pose a question, you could make an extraordinary statement to grab the reader's attention, or you can quote someone famous. Whatever you do, make sure it is appropriate to the advertised position and to the skills you possess. Along with this opening, you want to note the specific job to which you are responding.

Your letter then needs to state your worth, your applicable accomplishments and their relationship to the responsibilities of the position. This can be a couple of paragraphs, but keep in mind that less is more as long as significant content has been included. It's critical that your cover letter be at most one page.

The final paragraph is your call to action. It is where you state your follow-up plan. This is where you create continuity to ensure your success.

Make sure you do not include any salary information in your cover letter. It will either disqualify you or lock you in to compensation that does not match your worth. If the job ad requests your salary information, you can always state that it is negotiable. While not being specific, doing this will keep you in the running.

Regardless of your field of endeavor or level of experience, you can write an attention-grabbing cover letter which, in conjunction with a powerful resume, will grant you access to the right opportunities and lead you to a successful job search conclusion.

If you would like to have your cover letter written professionally, by the experts, then scroll down to the bottom of the screen and press the Job Search tab.

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Job Seeker Pitfalls vs. Strategies That Work

David Richter, President
TopDog Group

Searching for your next job can be a challenging task. Persistence and diligence are required as you face and overcome the many obstacles you will come up against in your journey. Most job seekers stumble and make the same errors over and over again. In today's tight job market, there is intense competition. You need to avoid these errors if you want to move your candidacy forward.

Errors or pitfalls can be categorized into the following areas: (Please press any of the statements below for further information)

Your resume lacks vision

Your resume falls short

Your cover letter needs some help

You are not tapping the hidden job market

Your networking needs refinement

You don't prepare enough for your interviews

Your interview skills are lacking

You have poor follow-up after your interviews

Your offer negotiations skills are lacking

Attitude!

Your resume lacks vision
You're just getting over the shock of having become unemployed. You know you need to look for a new job, but you have little idea how to go about it, or where to begin. The best place to start is with a vision. What is your vision for yourself? You can continue doing the same things you've been doing, or there might be different avenues to explore - perhaps a different career you've been wanting to pursue. While most people view unemployment as a negative experience, truly it is an opportunity to look at your life from a fresh perspective. Having a vision that has the potential of moving you in a new direction can be a very exciting way to begin converting your unemployment into a fresh start for yourself. Begin your search with a clear vision of what you want for yourself in this next phase of your career. Write it out; look at it often; keep your focus on it; and maintain a strong intention of following your vision no matter what obstacles may get in your way. Follow your passion; you won't be disappointed.

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Your resume falls short
Very few people know how to create a truly winning resume. Your resume may be too long, it may lack crucial elements, it may appear confusing or unfocused, it may have inaccuracies; it may contain employment gaps; there may be nothing in your resume that sparks interest or grabs the attention of the person reading it; and it may lack the unique differentiators that set you apart from the crowd. Having a weak resume can destroy your chances of getting interviews and being hired. Mediocrity will not bring you success. Your path to getting hired is comprised of a series of links, all of which must be strong for you to have success. Your resume represents one of the first links on your path. A quick and successful search starts with a powerful vision and a strong, well-written resume that reflects that vision. Be diligent in this; your efforts will pay off.

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Your cover letter needs some help
As critical as your resume is to your success, in some ways, your cover letter is even more important. Your cover letter sets the tone. It is usually read before your resume, and acts as an introductory note to your resume. If you don't have a cover letter, or you have one that is poorly written, you're setting yourself up for failure. There are specific ingredients your cover letter must have that are elaborated on within the body of your resume. Knowing what these crucial elements are will support your getting in doors and moving your candidacy forward.

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You are not tapping the hidden job market
You may think you are doing justice to your search efforts by scouring the classifieds and Internet job sites for job openings, and then responding by sending out your resume. In fact, there are two shortcomings to this approach. The first is that every other job candidate is doing the exact same thing. Unless you have figured out how to write a resume that differentiates you from the sea of candidates out there, you don't stand much of a chance. Secondly, by focusing on these job ads, you're attending to only twenty-five percent of all job openings available. You are missing out on the majority of positions that are in the hidden, or unadvertised, job market. Unless you're tapping this hidden sector of the market, you're not doing your search justice. To tap the hidden job market, you need to be doing at least two things, the first of which is to network. In the process of networking, you are talking to people you know and meeting new people referred to you. You are making yourself known and you are building trust as you create relationships that will lead you to new, uncharted opportunities. The second way to tap the hidden market is post your resume to the top job sites. By doing so, you are making yourself available to the employers and recruiters who scour the job sites in search of viable candidates for their unadvertised positions.

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Your networking needs refinement
Networking is an art. It takes communication to a whole new level. Most people don't network, or they network poorly. There is a certain hesitation, or fear, associated with networking which can be akin to cold-calling. Once you get past this trepidation, you will begin to reap the rewards that networking offers. Start networking with the people you know, telling them about yourself and your unique gifts. Make sure it's a two-way street, so find out as much as you can about them, as well. Always end an encounter with the question, "who else should I be talking to?" This process truly mushrooms. Roughly 80% of jobs are filled through a networking effort. Untold opportunities are out there; it's through a concerted and committed networking effort that jobs are found.

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You don't prepare enough for your interviews
Have you ever watched the Olympics, or professional figure skating, or a politician give a speech? Do you think any of these people simply got up one morning, got dressed and decided to go out and perform? Or did they go through rigorous training and preparation before considering themselves ready for the big event? In the same way, not preparing for an interview is foolhardy, and sure to produce mediocre results. Every step you take in life will be much more successful with sufficient preparation. Before every interview, take the time and effort to sit down and prepare. Make sure you are well-versed in yourself - your qualities, your competencies, your accomplishments, and your uniqueness. Research every aspect of the position, including the company, the industry and the reason(s) for the position in the first place. Prepare yourself with the types of interview questions that will show the interviewer you did your homework. The difference between success and failure is in the preparation. Walk into an interview fully armed and prepared, and you will stand a far better chance of being successful.

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Your interview skills are lacking
Despite all your preparation, interviews can still go south. Why? For one thing, your listening skills may need some work. For another, you may have a tendency to ramble on rather than answer a question in as concise a way as possible. Keep in mind that while your answers will help the interviewer assess your skills for the position at hand, it's how you respond that more importantly determines your overall fit with the company. Personality is ninety percent of the battle. You may answer a question factually, but your attitude might tell them no. On the other hand, it's far better to establish a rapport with your interviewer than to answer every question correctly. A skill can always be taught, but when was the last time you successfully altered someone's personality? Establish a comfort level early in the interview and maintain that rapport throughout. Come to the interview dressed appropriately. The initial handshake must be of a certain quality. Eye contact is critical throughout the interview. How you sit in your chair and shift your posture can make or break your effectiveness. Remember, you're there to sell yourself, so be sure to ask for the offer before the interview is over.

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You have poor follow-up after your interviews
Once the interview has concluded, write and send a thank you letter. It serves to keep your name and information uppermost in the eyes and mind of the interviewer. It also helps reinforce your qualifications and increases your chance of clinching an offer.

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Your offer negotiations skills are lacking
Far too many people fail to negotiate their offer. You are so thrilled to have received it, you just want to get started in your new position and start receiving a salary again. There is also a bit of apprehension surrounding the idea of negotiating. It is assumed that negotiating will change the company's mind about you and they'll rescind the offer. Nothing could be further from the truth. There is always a higher amount that you can receive over and above the compensation you are initially offered. Employers fully expect you to negotiate. It's when you don't that suspicions arise as to your qualifications for the position. Negotiating is an opportunity to get what you truly want, and deserve. It is a way to significantly raise your standard of living and sense of self, simply by taking stock of what you have to offer and then knowing how to use it for your advancement. What you receive now becomes your benchmark for future positions. Go for what you are worth - your life will never be the same!

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Attitude!
A tremendous level of stress can accompany being unemployed. You're certainly affected by the loss of income. You may also have a related drop in your level of confidence. Your unemployment may be impacting your home life and personal relationships. There may be a degree of depression that you are dealing with. You may be harboring lingering resentments toward those people responsible for your layoff. Finding a job is challenging enough. If you bring these emotions into your search efforts, you will be taxing your process in ways that will be quite formidable. You need to be clear-headed and focused to move your search process forward. You must find a way to bring yourself into a more balanced state. Realizing that you are not alone may be a good first step. Renewing friendships is another. Appreciating yourself in every way possible goes a long way. Relaxation exercises, deep breathing, yoga, meditation, working out, and eating healthier foods can make you feel really good about yourself. These are things that can help move you past any negative emotions and toward a much healthier mental state. Having a vision as discussed above may be the icing on the cake needed to launch your job search process and move you quickly in the direction of obtaining your career goals.

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Should You Seek Temporary or Contractual Employment While Job Searching?

David Richter, President
TopDog Group

According to US Department of Labor statistics, the average time to find employment is roughly six months. It could take as little as four to six weeks, or as long as ten to twelve months, or longer. Several factors determine your time to placement:

• Degrees, licenses, certifications
• Current state of employment
• Age
• Level of experience
• Current salary
• Position you are seeking
• Level of position being sought
• Salary requirement
• Location
• Industry
• Your resume
• Your interviewing skills
• Extent of networking effort
• Degree of career transition

No one knows how long they will be unemployed. Even a person with sufficient funds to last their entire period of unemployment may still want to consider a temporary or contractual assignment as an interim solution. The loss in income can have an unforeseeable psychological impact. Other concerns that need to be addressed include:

• Loss of confidence
• Change in daily responsibilities
• Boredom
• Employment gaps in the resume
• More expensive health benefits
• Minimal professional interactions
• Contract position leads nowhere

The rule of thumb is: if you have been searching unsuccessfully for two months and find yourself no further ahead than when you became unemployed, I would encourage you to seek temporary employment or a contractual assignment. More and more people are engaging in this type of activity, including former CEO's. In fact, there has been a twenty percent increase in the number of people working part-time since 2001.

The steady rise in temporary employment and contractual assignments is a definite indicator, not only of the state of our economy, but of things to come. Employers are realizing the many benefits of hiring temporary and contract employees. They don't have to go through all the screening and interviewing that is typical for permanent employees; they don't have to pay benefits; they can try out a person without any obligation to hire if it isn't working out; and they can convert a temporary or contractual employee to permanent status once the person has proven themselves.

At this time, there is a coupling of two factors: employers are seeking more people for temporary and contract jobs that used to be strictly for permanent employees, and job seekers are taking longer to find permanent employment. It would appear that temporary employment and contractual assignments represent ideal solutions.

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Using Recruiters:

How to Get a Step Ahead of the Crowd

David Richter, President
TopDog Group

When there is an opening to fill, a company has four basic approaches at their disposal:

• Advertise the position on job sites
• Network
• Search the Internet for candidates
• Use recruiters

When a company advertises an opening on an Internet job site, they receive hundreds of resumes. It simply is too long of a process and financially prohibitive to review every resume and move through each step of the interviewing and selection process to fill the opening.

Since decision-makers know other decision-makers, a hiring manager's network can be quite extensive. In time, good candidates can be located. The problem with this approach is that the hiring manager may simply be too busy to engage in the time and human interaction required to make this happen.

Employers and recruiters utilizing keyword searches scour the job sites in search of candidates to fill job openings. A major segment of these openings are unadvertised. When you post your resumes to a job site, you gain visibility, indirectly, into the hidden job market, and have access to a greater number of jobs.

On the downside, since most people searching will post their resume to a number of different sites, the number of potentially viable candidates for any one particular position is huge. Employers have also frequently found major discrepancies between candidates and their resumes. The fine line between reality and the realm of imagination becomes razor-thin for creative resume writers.

Screening and reviewing hundreds of resumes for accuracy and position viability is time-consuming. If the job also requires a certain type of personality which doesn't materialize at the interview, more time is wasted. For this reason, more and more employers turn to recruiters for a more efficient hiring process. A recruiter will conduct exhaustive screening procedures as part of their candidate search process. They will charge a fee to the employer for this service, but it is worth it in terms of time and effort.

One of the best ways to capitalize on a recruiter's mission is to post your resume to the career sites. Using keyword searches, recruiters will find you as long as your resume comes up a match. While this may not seem like a very strong proactive approach, it is by far the most sensible.

Recruiters do not work for you; they work for employers. They are in business to help companies find people, not the other way around. Attempting to contact a recruiter regarding a particular job will only lead to disappointment. Do not be surprised or put off if your calls and emails are not returned. Their allegiance is to their client, the employer who is paying their bill.

Having said that, it may be advantageous for you to present yourself to recruiters as a potential fee-paying client once you have been converted from candidate status. If, for example, you are a middle manager or decision-maker, this point can be easily made. You can also name-drop a referral to meet with a recruiter. Recruiters strongly favor these types of candidates. In a letter to a recruiter specializing in your field, make a case for yourself in the strongest and most specific way possible.

Recruiters play a tough game yet serve a valuable purpose. They do not work for you, yet you can formulate an approach for working with them. By utilizing recruiters in your overall job search efforts, you will find yourself a step or two ahead of the crowd.

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Your Value Proposition:

A Critical Component To Having a Successful Job Search

David Richter, President
TopDog Group

Your value proposition is a series of statements defining your worth. It is the value you bring to the table - the skills, strengths, core competencies, marketable assets and accomplishments you can declare as your own. Your value proposition describes your uniqueness - your unique gifts. It is what differentiates you from the crowd.

Think about some of the statements you can make about yourself that reflect the skills, strengths and competencies you possess. What makes you uniquely you? What is your value, your worth? Begin to jot down some ideas. You might want to ask someone who knows you well what values they see in you. You may be surprised by what they say. Then begin to formulate the best way of stating this.

Your value proposition is the cornerstone for all self-introductory communication. It sets the tone. It's how you make your mark. It is how you describe yourself when you are networking, when you are conducting an exploratory meeting with senior management, and when you are interviewing.

Your value proposition should be used as your primary response whenever you are asked these types of questions:

• So tell me about yourself?
• What differentiates you?
• Why should I consider you?
• What skills do you have the job?
• Why do I want to get to know you?

Your value proposition also becomes an integral part of your resume. It is placed at the top, so it sets the tone. It holds tremendous weight as a differentiating tool, swiftly setting you, and your resume, apart from the rest.

There is a fundamental difference between your value proposition and your areas of expertise. Your areas of expertise pertain to what you have done, the experiences you have gained over the years. Your value proposition reflects who you are, the unique gifts you possess. It is who you are which best describes to an employer how you would accomplish the specific responsibilities of the position offered.

As an example, let's say you gained experience in a cash flow / cash management, or Treasury, type of function. As part of this position, you also gained experience working with bank executives, establishing important relationships with key personnel. These would be areas of expertise. Let's say that as part of your uniqueness, or worth, you have great macro-vision, which is the ability to see the big picture. You also have an unusual ability to communicate which allows you to quickly initiate critical relationships with high-level executives. These abilities are part of your value proposition. It is your macro-vision and unusual ability to communicate that describe how you would fulfill a position as Treasurer.

Incorporating your value proposition in every aspect of your job search will set you apart and significantly improve your competitive stance in the job market. You will find your next job faster and be in position to receive a much stronger compensation package. It is critical to your success.

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The Hidden Job Market:

Real or Imagined?

David Richter, President
TopDog Group

The hidden job market has been touted as the place to go if you want to find the best jobs. It's been said that this sector of the job market accounts for seventy-five percent of all the job openings out there. If that is true, then what we see in the classifieds and on the Internet job sites account for only twenty-five percent of all job openings. So the question becomes, is the hidden job market a myth or does it truly exist?

The hidden, or unadvertised, job market does exist, and can be located. When a company advertises a job opening in the classifieds and on the various job sites, it takes three to four months for that position to be filled. Since companies lose money every day a position remains open, advertising a job opening is seen by many as a non-viable approach.

Roughly seventy-five percent of all job openings are therefore unadvertised, which means you will not see them posted on any of the job sites. You will not be aware of their existence. They are indeed hidden opportunities. It is absolutely worth your effort to find these opportunities.

Companies have learned to search for viable candidates using three fundamental strategies other than advertising: networking, using recruiters and probing the job sites. So how can you take advantage of these approaches to tap the hidden job market?

Networking isn't an approach exclusive to hiring companies. You, too, can engage in networking with all the people you know. As an extremely powerful strategy accounting for roughly 80% of all job fills, networking allows you to get in doors that would otherwise be impossible to enter. You can network your way into potential opportunities that can turn into the right job created just for you. Networking is one of the best ways to tap the hidden job market!

Screening and reviewing hundreds of resumes for accuracy and position viability is time-consuming. When the job-required personality doesn't materialize at the interview, more time is wasted. For this reason, more and more employers turn to recruiters for a more efficient hiring process. A recruiter uses exhaustive screening procedures as part of their candidate search process. They charge a fee to the employer for this service, but it is worth it in terms of time and effort.

Recruiters utilizing keyword searches scour the top job sites in search of candidates to fill their unadvertised job openings. Recruiters will find you as long as your resume is a match to the qualifications of the position they need to fill. So one of the best ways to capitalize on a recruiter's mission, and to indirectly tap the hidden job market, is to post your resume to the top career sites. It's a simple yet powerfully effective way to avail yourself of all the unadvertised positions out there, and take your job search to a whole new level.

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Effective Networking Skills:

Taking Your Job Search to a Whole New Level

David Richter, President
TopDog Group

Your network consists of family, friends, neighbors, co-workers and former employers. It also consists of your dentist, your barber or hair stylist, your accountant and your local grocery store manager. Networking is not so much who you know, but who knows you. You may know a lot of people, but how well do they know you - especially in terms of your skills, talents, creativity and potential? How familiar are these people with your value proposition -- your unique gifts?

It is your value proposition that differentiates you from the crowd; it is what stands out in the minds of those with whom you are networking. Your value proposition is the cornerstone for all self-introductory communication. It sets the tone. It's how you make your mark. It is how you describe yourself during any networking scenario.

The best way to network is to communicate your qualities to the people you know, so they in turn will know you better. Practice doing this in as concise and clear a way as possible. When you communicate your value proposition in a lasered way, you will be extremely effective.

Networking is never about asking someone for a job. It's about letting people in, and asking questions such as "Who do you know?" and "Who else should I be talking to?" This process can truly mushroom, especially if you don't wait until you are out of work before making contact with people. The results can be quite amazing.

Networking is also about finding out as much as you can about the people with whom you are networking. This serves many purposes. Remembering things about a person the next time you see them makes them feel significant. They will want to do more for you. Secondly, you can begin to connect the dots between their background and your own career objectives. Thirdly, you are building a bridge of trust; your encounter will be viewed as genuine and mutually beneficial, rather than as a manipulative gesture designed just for your gain.

An important part of networking is continuance. You're building a relationship. There needs to be planned follow-up activity and communication. The best way to accomplish this is by asking for their business card and summarizing the action steps you plan to take based on your dialog. Include a follow-up phone call as part of your summary. Once your brief meeting has concluded, send a thank-you note to the person, reiterating your appreciation for their willingness to meet with you, and any planned steps you will be taking.

Networking supports your entire job search effort. As an extremely powerful strategy which accounts for roughly 80% of all job fills, it allows you to get in doors that would otherwise be impossible to enter. You can network your way into potential opportunities that can turn into the right job created just for you. It's a great way to tap the hidden job market!

Networking is about creating relationships which, in turn, creates opportunities. It is about connecting, which builds a network of support that can last a lifetime. Only three ingredients are required:

You will need just a bit of courage to open up a dialog with someone you already know, or someone who was referred to you. You need to be aware of your potential and worth. The final ingredient is caring - caring enough about the other person to truly be interested in them and to build a connection, to start a relationship. The results will speak for themselves.

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Preparing For Your Interview:

What You Need To Know To Be Sucessful

David Richter, President
TopDog Group

In the limited time an interviewer has with you, their mission is to know you and assess your worth, especially in relationship to the other candidates interviewed. Asking you questions is the way they accomplish that mission.

You'll be asked to tell the interviewer about yourself, your qualifications (especially as they pertain to the specific opening), your professional background, your likes and dislikes, your strengths and weaknesses, and your goals. So the first step is to know yourself. Be prepared to talk about your skills, competencies, qualifications and accomplishments. Understand your strengths and weaknesses. Explore the goals you have for yourself - both current and future.

Especially know how to convey the value you bring to the table - the strengths, unique gifts and marketable assets that are distinctly yours. Know your value proposition; it describes your worth. It is what uniquely defines you, and differentiates you from the crowd. If you want to stand out in the huge ocean of candidates that represents your competition, you need to become fluent in this arena.

You may also be asked why you left your previous position. This is where the interview can get a bit tricky. How you answer this question can make or break your chances. No matter how challenging your supervisor was or how grueling the workload or the sixty-hour weeks were, you must frame your response in a positive light. If you left your previous employment because you were downsized, that's ok. That's happened quite a bit in the past few years. If you resigned, be very careful how you state this. Your attitude can enhance or end your chances. Be honest, and be sure to indicate your desire for stability as an overriding factor.

Keep in mind that while your answers will help the interviewer assess your skills for the position at hand, it's how you respond that more importantly determines your overall fit with the company. Personality is ninety percent of the battle. You may answer a question factually, but your attitude might tell them no. On the other hand, it's far better to establish a rapport with your interviewer than to answer every question correctly. A skill can always be taught, but when was the last time you successfully altered someone's personality?

Find out everything you can about the interviewer's quirks and traits. Is he or she confrontational or mellow, serious or informal, friendly or stern? What is their position within the company, and how long have they been employed there? Are they the decision-maker and therefore in a position to make you an offer? They may simply be a screen, filtering out all the non-viable candidates from further review by higher-ups. If they are a screen, try and discover upon whose shoulders the hiring responsibility falls.

You need to learn as much as you can about the position for which you are interviewing. Why does the position exist - are you replacing someone or is this a new position created because of company growth? If you are replacing someone, is it because they retired, resigned or were terminated? Understand the fundamental responsibilities of the position, especially in relationship to similar positions you have held in the past. Know what possibilities exist for your growth within the position and the company.

Research the company, using Google, Dunn & Bradstreet, Hoover's, Standard and Poors, or any of the other sources of corporate information. Who are its competitors in the marketplace and what percentage of the market do they own? Are their processes state of the art and at the cutting edge of technology? Are they a public company or privately held? If public, how are they perceived by investment advisors, what is their earnings track and how has their stock performed? If a privately held company, is it a family-run business with non-family members being in the minority? That would be ok; however, it could affect your chances for future promotions and growth.

Know the industry. The company might be at the forefront in terms of their processes, sales and marketing efforts, and growth, but its industry may be on its way out. If you see a delicious-looking apple growing on a dying tree, you might hesitate before pulling it off and taking a bite.

Do your research in all these areas so you can be well-prepared. Get on the Internet and find out everything you can. Make phone calls. Make sure you know all there is to know, so that you will go to your interview with great confidence and self-assurance.

Come to the interview dressed appropriately. Establish a comfort level early in the interview and maintain that rapport throughout. The initial handshake must be firm but not gripping. Eye contact is critical throughout the interview. How you sit in your chair and shift your posture can make or break your effectiveness. Remember, you're there to sell yourself, so be sure to ask for the offer before the interview is over. Fully armed, you can ask all the right questions and come away a success.

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Interview Questions:

How To Stump The Interviewer

David Richter, President
TopDog Group

In the limited time an interviewer has with you, their mission is to know you and assess your worth, especially in relationship to the other candidates interviewed. Asking you questions is the way they accomplish that mission.

Since interviews are two-way streets, your time should be spent assessing the position, the company, the employees and anything else that could sway you toward, or detract you from, the job opening at hand. To accomplish this, you'll want to come to the interview prepared to ask your own questions. Keep in mind that although an interviewer may like you and want to see you continue through subsequent interview stages, you may decide that, based on their responses to the questions you have posed, the job may not be for you.

The following represents a sampling of questions an interviewer may ask. Preparing meaningful responses in advance will impress your interviewer:

• Tell me about yourself?
• What differentiates you?
• Why should I consider you?
• Describe a challenge?
• Why should I get to know you?
• Explain your qualifications
• Tell me about your background
• What did you like about your job?
• What didn't you like?
• Name your biggest strength
• Name your biggest weakness
• What are your goals?
• How do you set your goals?
• Describe an accomplishment
• What motivates you?
• Describe a disappointment
• Why did you leave your last job?
• How would a boss describe you?
• How would a subordinate describe you?
• Describe a major problem and how you handled it?

The following represents a sampling of questions you may want to ask. Knowing ahead of time the responses you require will allow you to quickly assess the viability of your pursuing the position further:

• Who is making the hiring decision?
• Who will I report to?
• How much travel is involved?
• Where is the company headed?
• What are the company's goals?
• What is the company's market share?
• What are the opportunities for growth?
• What new products/services are being developed?
• What are your revenues?
• Describe the corporate culture
• Is this a new position?
• If a replacement, what happened?
• Describe the job responsibilities?
• What problems does the company face?
• What qualities are you looking for in a candidate?
• What is the next step in the interview process?
• What is the timeframe for bringing someone onboard?

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Interview Skills That Attract Offers

David Richter, President
TopDog Group

An interviewer's mission is to assess your qualifications compared to the other candidates interviewed. Asking you questions is their way of accomplishing that mission. Preparing meaningful responses in advance is your way of impressing the interviewer.

Be prepared to talk about your skills, competencies, qualifications and accomplishments especially as they pertain to the specific opening. Know how to state your likes and dislikes, your strengths, weaknesses and goals succinctly and fluently.

Especially know how to convey the value you bring to the table - the strengths, unique gifts and marketable assets that are distinctly yours. If you want to stand out in the huge ocean of candidates that represents your competition, you must be prepared to state how you differentiate yourself from the crowd.

You must be able to respond appropriately to the question of why you left your previous position, assuming you left voluntarily. No matter how challenging your supervisor was or how grueling the workload, you must frame your response in a positive light.

Make sure you do not discuss salary. Interviewers are aware of average job salaries and want to be sure you are in the ballpark. However, their knowing your salary history or requirements can disqualify you or lock you in to compensation that does not match your worth. If asked, you can simply state that your salary is negotiable.

While your answers will help the interviewer assess your skills for the position at hand, it's how you respond that more importantly determines your overall fit with the company. Personality is ninety percent of the battle. You may answer a question in a qualifying way, but your attitude could be telling them no.

At the outset, you must establish a rapport with your interviewer and maintain the chemistry between you throughout the meeting. You could be the most qualified candidate for the position, but the person with whom the interviewer feels the most comfortable gets the offer.

Be prepared to ask your own questions - about the position itself, the company and opportunities for your own growth. This allows you to quickly assess the viability of your pursuing the position further. An interviewer may like you, especially because of your questions, and want you to continue through subsequent interview stages; however, you may decide the job is not for you.

Come to the interview dressed appropriately, and on time. Your handshake needs to be firm but not gripping. Eye contact must be maintained throughout the interview. Sit upright in your chair and try not to shift your posture too much. Remember, you're there to sell yourself; before the interview is over, make sure you ask for the offer. Fully prepared, you will come away a success.

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Your Salary:

What Are You Worth?

David Richter, President
TopDog Group

Why is it a good idea to determine your worth? Whether you plan to stay at your current job or seek employment elsewhere, your assessment of your worth can become a bargaining chip should you choose to negotiate for higher compensation. It's a reference point on your way to improving not only your standard of living but your sense of self as well.

There are many ways your worth is determined for a particular job. One way is to look at your current earnings. That will at least tell you how your boss or company views your worth. Another way is to find out what the average job salaries are for people performing the same functions as you. Still another approach is to use a salary calculator to look at a salary comparison based on several factors including industry, geography and of course the level of the position itself. If you are interested in that approach, press here.

If you want to make a lot of money, I suggest you look to your true worth. In most cases, your true worth is far greater than your current compensation. Your worth can be defined by what you bring to the table that is unique and valuable. Look at the skills, strengths, core competencies, marketable assets and accomplishments you can declare as your own. This is what describes your uniqueness. It is what differentiates you from the crowd.

Keep in mind that no other person possesses these same unique gifts. The things in life that are rare tend to be worth more than those things that are bountiful in nature. Extending this concept further, the rarest thing is a one-of-a-kind, which is priceless. There is nothing else like it. Have I just described you?

Having said that, what number would best describe your worth? Once you have arrived at a number, communicate this with your spouse or best friend for validation. You may be surprised by their response.

Salary negotiations based on your true worth take on a whole new dimension. No, you probably won't be compensated one million dollars; however, I have seen twenty to forty thousand dollars added to starting compensation through aggressive negotiations. It is common to negotiate signing bonuses, stipulations calling for substantial six-month performance-based increases, several weeks of additional vacation time and many other perks.

You have probably worked very hard to come to this point, so why stop short of getting what you truly want, and deserve. Wouldn't you rather be compensated on the basis of what you're worth than on some arbitrary figure designed to keep the status quo? Remember, what you receive now becomes your benchmark for future positions. Go for what you are worth - your life will never be the same!

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Job Offer Negotiations:

Getting What You Want

David Richter, President
TopDog Group

You have worked hard at finding your next job. You have come through many obstacles and have reached your career objective. You have received a job offer. You're thrilled. Mission accomplished. After all, what else is left to do?

A majority of job candidates do not negotiate their offer. They are happy just to have received it. They just want to start their new job and start getting paid again. Besides, there's a myth that the process of negotiating could result in the employer changing his or her mind, causing the offer to be rescinded. Does this kind of thinking sound familiar?

Offer negotiations are certainly an optional part of the job search process. You don't have to negotiate. Should you? Absolutely! In fact, when you don't negotiate, negative ramifications can occur.

For example, you're in Sales or Customer Support or any other profession that requires a persuasive style. As a final "test", an employer may extend to you the position contingent upon how persuasive you are at negotiating the offer. If you don't negotiate, or negotiate poorly, you lose. A runner-up may be offered the position on a similar basis.

Even if you are not in a profession that requires a persuasive style, you should seriously consider engaging in a negotiating process. Employers expect you to negotiate. There is always a higher amount that you can receive over and above the compensation you are initially offered. How much more will be a function of the bargaining chips you have, and the finesse used to negotiate them.

Let's take stock of the bargaining chips you may have:

• Degrees, licenses, certifications
• Current state of employment
• Expertise and time in the field
• Salary you currently command
• Assessment of your true worth

Depending upon the type of position you are seeking, each of these areas has validity and relevance, and a specific "chip" value that can be called upon when negotiating. Probably the most esoteric yet most valuable of these is your own assessment of worth.

Your true worth is far greater than your current compensation, or what a salary calculator would reveal. Your worth can be defined by what you bring to the table that is unique and valuable. Look at the skills, strengths, core competencies, marketable assets and accomplishments you can declare as your own. This is what describes your uniqueness. It is what differentiates you from the crowd.

What number would you associate with your worth? If you're having difficulty coming up with a figure, just ask your spouse or best friend how much they think you are worth. You'll probably get a surprisingly high yet fairly accurate number. Let's assume you came up with one million dollars. I know, that doesn't even come close. The point is, can you expect an employer to pay you this amount as your compensation?

For sure, salary negotiations based on your true worth or unique gifts take on a whole new dimension. No, you probably won't be compensated one million dollars; however, with the right blend of negotiating skills and patience, your efforts will be substantially rewarded!

I have seen up to forty thousand dollars added to starting compensation through diligent negotiations. It is common for signing bonuses, stipulations calling for substantial six-month performance-based increases, several weeks of additional vacation time, stock options, profit sharing, and more to be added as part of a negotiated package.

Negotiating is an opportunity to get what you truly want, and deserve. It is a way to significantly raise your standard of living and sense of self, simply by taking stock of what you have and then knowing how to use it for your advancement. Remember, what you receive now becomes your benchmark for future positions.

We all have choices. Some people would rather keep things the way they are. That's ok. However, you have worked very hard to come to this point, so why stop short of getting what you truly want, and deserve. Wouldn't you rather be compensated more on the basis of what you're worth than on some arbitrary figure designed to keep the status quo? Go for what you are worth - your life will never be the same!

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Counter Offers:

Do They Merit Consideration?

David Richter, President
TopDog Group

You are one of the fortunate few who have not been downsized. However, your current job isn't exactly fulfilling. Perhaps it isn't what you enjoy doing. Maybe the hours are too long. Perhaps you are having some conflicts with your supervisor. Your salary may not be on par with average job salaries for the same type and level of position, or not coming close to what you feel you are worth. Whatever the reason(s), you have decided to enter into a job search.

So you begin your search. You work hard and spend quite a bit of time searching for your new job. Your efforts are finally rewarded; you have received an offer. Congratulations! Now comes the hard part. Wait a minute! Did I just say "now comes the hard part"? What am I talking about? The hard part is finding your new job, isn't it?

If you are employed while searching for a job, you must inform your present employer that you have received an offer of employment elsewhere. When you give notice, two things can happen. Either your present employer will accept your decision with regret, or they will do whatever they can to persuade you to stay.

Your present employer probably spent a lot of time and money hiring and then training you. They are accustomed to your work habits and abilities, and know you work in harmony with your peers. You have achieved a number of accomplishments during your tenure there. To find your replacement at this juncture would be costly.

Your company will most likely attempt to retain you with a counter-offer.

A counter-offer represents the company"s monetary sense of what it"s going to take to retain you as an employee. It will be fashioned as an offer difficult to refuse, and include a substantial increase in your compensation along with whatever other perks are deemed necessary to win you back. What should you do?

The answer can be found in the reason you went looking elsewhere in the first place. If you accept the counter-offer, you will make more money, but in every other respect, your situation will remain the same. You need to ask yourself if the added income and perks will let you overcome whatever it was that caused your lack of fulfillment. Temporarily, you may be satiated, but you will most likely reach a point where you eventually seek a new position.

While it may be difficult to turn down a counter-offer, it may be your best option. The sooner you find yourself in a more fulfilling position, the more creative and happier you will be.

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Does Retirement Fit Into Your Busy Schedule?

David Richter, President
TopDog Group

Why do you work?

Stop and think about it. Other than the income you derive from the various tasks and responsibilities you perform on the job, are there any other reasons you get up every morning before the birds do, drive your car in rush-hour traffic, get into the office and go to several meetings throughout the day that have yet to change life as we know it, and sit at your desk going through all the things you need to go through that are a part of what's been called, work?

You've been doing this for a long time. You've been putting up with office politics, with a lot of grief from your supervisors, peers and direct reports, and then coming home a bit less energized than when you left twelve hours earlier, only to face other issues on the home front. Other than the money, what has been motivating you all these years?

Hopefully, you have been able to derive a measure of satisfaction from doing those things that have tapped into your creativity and utilized a good percentage of your talents, capabilities and unique gifts. Hopefully, you have followed your passion over the years and associated yourself with the types of jobs and careers for which you have felt a lot of enthusiasm, and from which you have been able to experience tremendous fulfillment.

If you are reaching retirement age, it may be time for you to look at a retirement calculator, assess your finances, and review all the things that have produced your fulfillment. If you are financially positioned to retire, should you? It seems like a silly question, but there's more to it than meets the eye. I don't recommend retirement to anyone.

Retirement implies you are no longer working. You've given up the treadmill described above for a villa somewhere off the coast of Spain. Sounds great, doesn't it?! Then why would I not recommend retirement? The reason is simple: People need to do creative things. They need to be involved and express their talents and capabilities to the fullest. It's not only a way of feeling useful or deriving an income; it's more importantly a requirement for sanity and longevity. Numerous studies corroborate this.

Does this mean you shouldn't retire? Do you have to remain on the treadmill until you die? Not exactly. You can get out of the "rat race" without retiring. Applying a new dimension to the word, retire, it no longer implies that you stop working; rather, you are no longer working for someone else. You can still have that villa, only now you can also be engaged in creating and expressing your talents. For many retirees, it means establishing and marketing their hobbies. For many others, it's about starting their own consulting business.

The important thing to consider as you approach retirement age is that over the years you have brought a lot to the table and have given of yourself in many, many ways. You can now take those same talents and begin to look at ways you can continue to apply them in a self-employed capacity. The rewards will be great. You'll be off the treadmill, you'll stay sane, you'll live longer, and that villa off the coast of Spain just got a new owner, you.

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Executive Career Marketing:

Your Next Step?

David Richter, President
TopDog Group

You have been searching for your next job or new career. You rewrote your resume, created a cover letter, posted both to job sites, attended a couple of career fairs, contacted some recruiters, and sent your information in response to some ads you saw in the classifieds. You've contacted some people you know to start networking. You also went on two first interviews, neither of which developed into anything further.

You have been searching for roughly two months, and as you take stock of your situation, you are realizing that you are no further ahead than when you began your search. You have come to a defining point in your search process. You could be starting to lose confidence in yourself. You may begin to doubt that your efforts will lead you anywhere. You are at that point where you truly are not sure what else you can do that can produce results and success.

Don't be so hard on yourself. You are in good company; very few people find jobs quickly. The national average for finding your next position is about six months, according to US Department of Labor statistics. It could take as little as four to six weeks, or as long as ten to twelve months, or longer. Several factors determine your time to placement:

• Degrees, licenses, certifications
• Current state of employment
• Age
• Level of experience
• Current salary
• Position you are seeking
• Level of position being sought
• Salary requirement
• Location
• Industry
• Your resume
• Your interviewing skills
• Extent of networking effort
• Degree of career transition

As an example, a thirty-five year-old employed Bookkeeper with an Associates degree earning $34,000 is seeking a lateral move. This Bookkeeper has a decent resume, interviews fairly well and has done some networking. Approximate time to placement: four to six weeks.

A fifty-six year-old downsized Controller who was earning $85,000 is seeking a CFO slot and looking for $125,000. This person has a Bachelor's degree in Accounting, but is not a CPA and does not have an MBA. This person has a resume that needs some help, does not communicate as effectively as others in the same category, and has done some networking. Approximate time to placement: ten to twelve months.

You may want to use these two examples to interpolate your average time to placement. If your search is taking longer, you'll want to reassess your approach and make some needed changes. What are some steps you can take?

What about doing more of the same - will that work? Doubtful. Many job seekers conduct their search efforts by using the same tactics over and over, not achieving the success they desire. One of the definitions of insanity is doing the same things repeatedly, expecting different results. If you want different results, you must do different things. It's that simple.

So what else can you do to achieve better results? A Career Marketing specialist would tell you to seek professional help. They would tell you that they can help you reduce the length of time to placement by using their professional services. They would help you write a professional resume and cover letter, show you different job sites and how to post your resume there, and give you a listing of recruiters.

They would then teach you how to network, and coach you on the different ways to have successful interviews. They would also show you how to do your own research on companies and industries. They would teach you the fine art of salary negotiations and guide you toward accepting the best negotiated offer. Sound good? So is this the type of professional help you want?

The answer lies in the following: Do these services achieve stated results (reduce your time to placement, help you find your job or career of choice, help you receive a better compensation package), and at what price?

Most Executive Career Marketing and Management specialists cater to executives with an earnings capacity of $75,000 and higher, and their promotional efforts imply that they do most of the work for you. All you basically need to do is show up for the interviews and accept one of the many resulting offers that will come flying in. This is not what takes place.

When you sign up as a client and begin the process, you quickly realize that you are doing most of the work. That would be okay since that was what you were doing in the first place, only now you are paying for it. Many of these firms are under investigation for misleading their clients. That is not to say that all Career Marketing firms mislead or limit the extent of their support. Some are doing good work for their clients. The point here is buyer beware.

Can you achieve reduced time to placement in your chosen field and receive a better compensation package? The Career Marketing firms that are truly there to support and guide you can help you achieve some of these goals. But results are inconsistent. As with anything else, so much depends upon you, your goals, your attitude, and other factors. Only you can determine if this approach is right for you.

So what is the price tag? Executive Career Marketing and Management firms provide their professional support at fees ranging from $4,000 to $15,000. The kicker is that these firms demand payment upfront. This is the reason they choose clients with an earnings capacity of $75,000 and higher. For most people, the fee is unaffordable.

There is another strategy you can take. One that will amount to a fraction of the cost of the services offered through Career Marketing specialists. The strategy is simple and straightforward. It is participating in this site. Read the articles found on this site and utilize our free tools and resources.

Take the steps now to jump-start your job search process. If you want to win, do those things that will move you toward victory. These are the ways for you to get on top of your game and achieve success. I encourage you to explore what this site has to offer; you will profit from your efforts.

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Work From Home Businesses:

A Viable Option?

David Richter, President
TopDog Group

You have been searching for your next job or new career. You rewrote your resume, created a cover letter, posted both on job sites, attended a couple of career fairs, contacted some recruiters, and sent your information in response to some ads you saw in the classifieds. You've started networking. You also went on some first interviews, none of which developed into anything further.

You have been searching for roughly two months, and as you take stock of your situation, you realize that you are no further ahead than when you began your search. You have come to a defining point in your job search process.

This may be the perfect time to consider taking your talents and channeling them in a completely new direction. If you are ready for a meaningful change, starting your own home-based business may be the answer. The rewards could be better than you've ever experienced before in your working life.

A work from home business these days usually means an online business. You use your computer to make a living. In most cases, that means you need to sell something. But what if you're not a salesperson? What if you've never sold a thing in your life?

You don't have to be a salesperson to sell online. In fact, most people starting an online business have never sold anything previously. You begin by looking at the knowledge you possess in a particular area. It could be anything you learned extensively that you now can teach or help others to understand. Anything can be sold online.

It can be software such as a how-to CD or book you write, or a service helping others write code. It can be a book on quilting. It can be information about truck parts. It can even be someone else's product that you sell, for which you receive a commission. The possibilities are endless.

You'll need a website to promote your products, and there's a lot of assistance you can get online to help create one. The bottom line is, the initial expense to get your online business up and running is very small. It may take a few months to organize your business into a profit-making machine, but the revenue potential is huge.

You'll have to give up rush-hour traffic. You may not be wearing business attire as much. You won't be having those spell-binding meetings you are accustomed to. The only office politics you may have is when your spouse comes home from his/her job at the end of the day. Is a work at home business a viable option? Absolutely.

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