Job Search References

Reposition yourself to re-enter the workforce; join me on my personal branding journey.

This week I have been thinking about job references and the fact that I have not worked in my field for a long time (more than 10 years).  Neither have I followed the golden rule of keeping in touch with my job contacts.  So, as you can imagine, I'm slightly nervous about who to use as references. 

As usual, I've done some research and come up with some guidelines about how to go about lining up and pre-screening references, because afterall, you don't want any surprises.  One of the articles I liked was called "Resumes Win Interviews, But References Win Job Offers", which about sums it up.  References are very important and you absolutley must have a few people in your pipeline to sing your praises, it's a critical part of the process and should not be taken lightly.  

Randall Hansen lays out  a plan for developing a reference list in his article References: The Keys to Choosing and Using the Best...  The steps are as follows: (modified list)

• Think Strategically about who to choose as your references
• Consider different categories of references (3-5 people who can speak of your accomplishments)
• Get Permission to use your references
• Collect up to date reference contact details
• Keep references informed (and possibly coached)
• Thank them for their help

This is the process I will use going forward. I have a few people in mind to use. Fortunately, in the age of social media, it is easier to track down old colleagues than it used to be. Approaching them and asking for their help seems intimidating, but the worst that could happen is that they will say no. And hopefully, in the end, I will come up with a list of people who I am sure will recommend me and help me secure the job I want.

See you next Friday......

Updated Elevator Pitch - Feedback Please

Reposition yourself to re-enter the workforce; join me on my personal branding journey.

It has been a challenging week for me trying to update my elevator pitch. I got some great suggestions from Kathy McAffee whose website is motivatednetworker.com.  Specifically, these two pieces of advice guided my revision.

1. Position yourself in how you want to be going forward, not what you've been in the past. Focus on intention, not history.
2. You will need different versions of your elevator pitch. It is a dynamic piece of communication that changes depending on the situation and opportunity at hand.

With that in mind, I began revising my original "I am, I can, I want" statement:

I am an international marketing specialist with 5 years of consumer product experience setting up Avon's $50 million new market niche in China.

I can develop strategic marketing plans, and have extensive experience planning, implementing and analyzing research projects and sales promotion campaigns as well as forecasting sales. I have a Masters in International Management and speak fluent Chinese.

I want a product marketing position with a company that has the vision and resources to create exciting and effective marketing campaigns.

Updated Version:

I am a marketing professional with a global mind-set and 8 years of international experience. I also have 5 years of customer service experience and understand the importance of customer-centric strategy.

I can research, strategize, present, and implement customer-focused marketing campaigns using the newest social media and marketing metrics tools as well as more traditional techniques.

I want a product marketing/branding position with a company that has a winning product vision and the resources to create exciting and effective customer-focused marketing campaigns.

 Using Kathy Mcafee's guidelines, I also came up with condensed versions...

10 seconds:  My name is Allison Prout and I help companies create exciting and effective customer-focused marketing campaigns.

30 seconds:  My name is Allison Prout and I'm a marketing professional who understands the importance of customer-centric strategy.

I help companies with winning product visions create exciting and effective customer-focused marketing campaigns by using the newest social media and marketing metrics tools along with traditional marketing strategies.

I am interested in meeting someone who can discuss your companies marketing challenges with me, Allison Prout.

As you can see, I have been hard at work. Please let me know what you think of my updates, are they better than the original? I would appreciate some objective input.  Thanks.

See you next Friday...

Your Elevator Pitch

Reposition yourself to re-enter the workforce; join me on my personal branding journey.

When job seeking, it is important to be able to describe who you are and what you can do confidently and succinctly.  This way, when an opportunity arises you are able to impress prospective employers. In entrepreneurial circles this is called your elevator pitch. The idea is to have a prepared 2 minute introduction (the amount of time it takes to ride up an elevator) which will create interest in you and what you have to offer. You must keep it short, sweet, and to the point. It does not have to be exactly 2 minutes, but the idea is to create just enough interest to take it to the next step. The next step might be an introduction or an interview.

I did an exercise at a career center in San Francisco in which I had to prepare a statement describing myself in less than 100 words.  It's called the "I am, I can, I want" statement.  Here is what I wrote 13 years ago.

I am an international marketing specialist with five years of consumer product experience setting up Avon's $50 million new market niche in China.

I can develop strategic marketing plans, and have extensive experience planning, implementing and analyzing research projects, sales promotion campaigns and forecasting sales. I have a Masters in International Management and speak fluent Mandarin Chinese.

I want a product marketing position with a firm that has the vision and resources to create exciting and effective marketing campaigns.

The question is, does this description still fit me now? How can I update and improve it?  This will be my challenge for next week. Will you join me? You can find tips on how to develop a good elevator pitch by checking out the following links - The Job Seeker Elevator Pitch  and http://motivatednetworker.com/your-elevator-pitch/

See you next Friday...