professional@email.com

Are you using a professional email address for your job search? An email address that is not outdated? One which identifies who you are? An email address that is easily deciphered even when hand written?

I’m sure we can all agree that an email address such as sexykitten@, beerking@ or gonefishing@ lacks the professionalism expected from anyone who is serious about managing their career. Get rid of them or use them exclusively for the singles sites.

Dots, dashes, underscores: Unless you are an extremely neat printer, it is possible that you’ve added your email address to a list in the hopes of receiving some important correspondence that will never be sent. Is it a dash or an underscore or maybe that line was supposed to represent a dot? Don’t leave anyone struggling to decipher your email address. For those of us who require reading glasses, a neatly typed email could still present a problem with the use of symbols which are smaller than letters.

You are known as George Brown but you created an email address cbrown@. This was done because you wanted to confuse people? I’m going to send the email to gbrown because I’m sure I must have made a mistake when I entered it as cbrown@. One more email that you will never receive.

What were all those numbers George added to his email address?

I just received an email from latvicus@. Since I have no idea who it is, I’m going to delete it. How was I supposed to know it was George Brown? His middle name you say?

It is completely understood that a common name requires some modification to obtain an available address so a middle initial or full name will be necessary; GeorgeLatvicusBrown@ or georgelbrown or georgezbrown. No, your middle initial is not a z but does anyone else know that? It still enables anyone looking at it to recognize that it is in fact George Brown. The George Brown that introduced himself at the last networking meeting you attended. But who was gb1234@hotmail.com?

If you are using Hotmail or AOL you’ll need to update to a new address. Those continuing to use them are dating themselves and perceived as not keeping up with the times.  @gmail and @rogers are both very popular today. Did you acquire the domain for your name or business? If so, you will have access to create email addresses such as, george@georgebrown.com or martin@aneliteresume.com.

What email address are you using for your job search? What does it say about you?

Do you have your online profiles established to gain access to the ever increasing number of job search resources that continue to flood the internet? Companies and organizations are online. Recruiters and HR professionals are online. Job boards, professional networking events, industry groups, and your competition…are all online! The news is also online and what better way to find out where the jobs are or where they will be!

Facebook partners with Labour Department to help job-seekers. Labour Secretary Hilda Solis also hopes to expand this initiative to Twitter Linkedin and other social media sites. 3 million job openings

Spaceport America conjures up spine-tingling future Forecasting 2000 jobs

Target Canada now hiring for 2013 launch 

Starbucks U.S. microlending program aims to create jobs “In the United States, small businesses hire more than half of all private-sector workers, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration. But these businesses have been in a no-man’s land of tight financing, with little capital to grow. According to Starbucks, for every $3,000 donated through the program, a job will be created or maintained.”

5 Hot Jobs for Retirees, Two government agencies in particular — the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Transportation Security Administration — are known for seeking older workers. Both agencies have openings requiring little or no experience.

3,290,000,000 results are found if you google, jobs! Of course a successful job search will require a more specific search, one which may target a location, industry or organization. Do you have a company in mind? Did you know that company could be found on Linkedin and many of their employees are connected to the company as well as past employees? An old friend or relative may be one of them and can get you an interview or a past employee could provide advice to let you know they are planning to downsize and relocate outside the country. You will be amazed at the wealth of information you are able to dig up online and despite the millions of results, you’ll soon learn that so-and-so knows somebody that knows you and surprisingly it becomes a very small world. An online world which is easily manageable and not so overwhelming after all that enables you to seek out the opportunity that is right for you.

Create your professional online profiles on Linkedin, Twitter and establish a Facebook Page. You will increase your presence to be easily found by the recruiter who is looking to find the perfect candidate and you will be amazed at the wealth of information available which may lead you to the perfect job!

The reports, articles, blog posts and books will continue for many years to come with respect and admiration for an amazing man, Steve Jobs. Unlike many, Steve Jobs was revered as much in life as he has been in death. Acknowledged as a technological genius, Steve Jobs was that and so much more as seen by the outpouring of public comments since his death last month:

“brilliance, passion and energy

revered as a hero

visionary and creative genius

an amazing human being

a dear friend

an inspiring mentor

imagination and determination

a creative genius

a dynamic and fearless competitor, collaborator, and friend

an iconic legend

a visionary leader”

Bob Iger, chief executive of Walt Disney, said: ‘Steve Jobs was a great friend as well as a trusted advisor. His legacy will extend far beyond the products he created or the businesses he built. It will be the millions of people he inspired, the lives he changed, and the culture he defined. Steve was such an ‘original,’ with a thoroughly creative, imaginative mind that defined an era. Despite all he accomplished, it feels like he was just getting started.’

Michael Dell, chief executive of Dell Inc, pictured right, said: ‘Today the world lost a visionary leader, the technology industry lost an iconic legend and I lost a friend and fellow founder. The legacy of Steve Jobs will be remembered for generations to come.’

More Quotes: Devastated Apple staff plan celebration of Steve Jobs’ life as world mourns death of visionary genius

There will be few who are not aware of Steve Jobs as his personal brand was easily established with a consistent, straight forward, authentic and genuine persona. He was clear and concise; generating answers and not questions. Although protective of family privacy, he willing shared his own personal experiences if he felt it would help to inspire others.

The following articles provide memorable words from a man with an instantly recognizable personal brand that will remain a part of history and live on to inspire generations.

Canadian Business, Interactive: Wise words from Steve Jobs

‘You’ve got to find what you love,’ Jobs says, “Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish”.

Thank you Steve Jobs, rest in peace

Visibility is key to establishing your brand in this highly competitive online market. Google has provided the ease of searching a single word to generate results in the millions. Searching for a product, place, data, professional, event, organization and more has never been easier.  To recognize the explosion of Internet use you need only note, Google Earth has been downloaded 1 Billion Times; a single app downloaded a billion times that provides the ability to search for satellite images from around the world, the population of Facebook users exceeds 700 million and over 80% of recruiters using Linkedin to search for potential candidates!

With billions of people creating and sharing infinite amounts of information online it is necessary to give serious consideration to how you will gain visibility as a professional to manage your career or business. Creating a Facebook Page, Twitter profile and Linkedin account are the absolute basics for an online profile and although these social media sites offer a significant google ranking, the key is being “social”.

Anyone can establish online profiles or a website but gaining the necessary visibility requires a great deal of input. Expanding networks, sharing content, providing comments; all are time consuming requirements but necessary to generate a positive, professional, genuine and visible brand. This is where caution is advised. Generating automated canned invitations, generating automated pages and comments are all becoming the norm but how beneficial is it?

Career or business, your reputation will be hinged on genuine, authentic content. Without it, you could be generating a negative impression. No one is interested in the millions of automated comments, which if not blocked are simply deleted as SPAM. A small network consisting of individuals you know based on personalized invitations will be more valuable than one twice the size consisting of total strangers.

Are you paying someone to send out these automated comments? “I like to read this. You have provided great information in your blog. I am very happy to read this blog.” Be sure you know what you are paying for,  Automated SEO, The Pitfalls and-Risks of Taking Shortcuts and ask for that second opinion. Is it doing more harm than good?

Securing a job interview can be as exciting as landing the job! Are you prepared? If you haven’t had a bad job interview you’ve heard from someone else who has. There is no guarantee that nothing will go wrong; accidents happen, personalities differ and expectations could be dashed on either side of the table. The best way to increase your chances for success in any job interview is simply to be prepared.

Some research was needed to compose a personalized cover letter to accompany your resume which got you the job interview but if you intend to ace the interview and land the available position you’ll need to investigate further. Confidence is an extremely positive influence in any job interview and nothing fuels it better than knowledge. How much do you know about the company, the interviewer, current and past employees? Is the position newly created or will you be filling a position previously held? Was the previous employee promoted or did they resign from the position? How does your experience and education compare to theirs?

Don’t leave anything to chance and pay attention to every detail; time, location, appearance, rehearsed  answers and prepared questions. This is not the time to “wing it”! Above all, listen carefully to ensure you provide the appropriate answers. If you do not fully comprehend the question do not guess at an answer. Rather than simply stating you didn’t understand what they were asking for, try rephrasing the question back to the interviewer to obtain a clear understanding.

Amy Levin-Epstein provides some excellent job interview tips in 5 Things You Should Never Say in a Job Interview, CBS MoneyWatch.com.

A professional resume is critical to a successful job search and an enticing cover letter is the key to having your resume noticed! HR professionals and recruiters are accustomed to reviewing cover letters within a matter of seconds noting most are typically generic and quickly discarded.

If you want your cover letter noticed, make it personal! This is your opportunity to relay some important personal details related to your professional aspirations and accomplishments which may not be included in your resume. Also, unlike your resume, your cover letter will be written in the first person.

My position in Canada is being eliminated and I am not open to relocate to another global business unit.

I have numerous project accomplishments I wish to share with you.

Make it personal and impressive. Don’t be shy when it comes to bragging about your accomplishments. You did it! These accomplishments must be backed up in your resume and clearly relayed in a detailed and quantifiable manner.

I renegotiated various agreements to keep the project on track and without sacrificing quality.

I conceive and deliver large, high value, high profile solutions.

I have led teams peaking at 100-persons located at various points across the world.

Making it personal is not just about you, you need to assure the reader that you are addressing this cover letter to them and not just anyone who is willing to read it. Do your homework. The effort you put into your cover letter will lend assurance to the reader that you will put that extra effort into your job. Resources are abundant to secure information regarding the performance of most companies or organizations.

I can rectify under-performance and a dysfunctional business unit.

Your organizations CSR initiatives and employee involvement indicate this position to be a perfect cultural fit.

If  you are searching for an innovative and persistent leader able to shift the company positively and competitively forward, please contact me for an interview. I can make a difference!

What is more personal than a name? If you are able to address your cover letter to the individual who will be reading it, you will establish a positive first impression and a personal connection that could present you with your next job opportunity.

There are many resources  available to assist in managing your executive career and it is likely you have secured the services of a Certified Professional Resume Writer, Career Coach or Personal Branding Strategist. You may have invested in furthering your education to obtain additional accreditation’s and you are likely a paid member of various organizations. All are positive steps to managing a successful career. However, there is one more step that is sure to accelerate the success of your career and it is one which does not require a fee.

The one professional not directly linked to the organization or company that is seeking to hire their next candidate could be the most powerful connection to securing the job. If you really are good at what you do; if you are an expert in your industry, this is the individual who just might have you climbing your ladder to career success, two rungs at a time! Responsible for finding the perfect fit for the employer, it is the recruiter who will make the decision on the individual they believe best meets the criteria to present as a potential candidate.

Although the recruiter’s obligation is to the hiring company or organization, it is not possible to fulfill their mandate without their resource; professionals with the attributes necessary to assume the available position. Recruiters are key decision makers which makes them a valuable asset to your career. If you have not initiated a relationship or responded to the top recruiters in your industry you could be missing out on essential career advice and a chance to advance in your career.

Discrimination? Not in 2011! Unfortunately, regardless of moral or legal issues, facing discrimination in your job search can never be totally abolished. There will always be those with differing opinions from others. HR professionals, recruiters or senior executives do not always share the same opinion. There are many who will not consider a candidate without a degree and then others who believe experience is more valuable than a degree. Some feel maturity is defined solely by physical age and view it as an asset, while there are those who wouldn’t consider hiring anyone over 40! You will have your own opinion as a potential candidate and can choose to agree or disagree. Age, gender, nationality and appearance could influence some in the decision making process but hopefully not to any significant degree as they are all beyond your control and have no bearing on your qualifications to fill a position.

Recently, I was surprised to see the following advice offered regarding age discrimination; “most career counsellors will tell you to eliminate dates from your resume..”! (The author was not a professional career counsellor, nor did they provide any sources.) As previously stated, your age is beyond your control but lying about it or trying to hide it will most certainly result in eliminating you as a potential candidate. There may be a few decision makers who prefer to interview a younger candidate but you can be assured that all decision makers will decline interviewing any candidates that they feel are less than forthright, deceitful or trying to hide information. Employment gaps or missing graduation dates immediately sends out a red flag! More often, those who hide the dates on their resume are presumed to be much older than in reality; why else would they try to hide it unless they were really old! If you can’t be trusted to disclose basic information on your resume it is unlikely you will find anyone interested in interviewing you for a job.

Your resume is required to disclose professional information only. Do not include personal information such as religious or political affiliations. It would be easy to find those whose beliefs differed from yours or many who would not give consideration based on inappropriate content.

Contact Elite Resumes and obtain a free resume critique from a Certified Professional Resume Writer, Martin Buckland.

It is so common to see “updates available …” that you may not have noticed how often you actually choose to update; your email, WordPress site, computer, phone or social media sites.  Competition is fierce, technological advances are thrown at us at an alarming rate and an online presence is mandatory. Staying current with all updates will enable better performance, increased knowledge and a respected professional presence. The advancement and success of your career or business is relative to your acceptance of this need for constant change.

In addition to receiving available updates, it is also necessary to provide updates; “What’s happening? What’s on your mind? Share an update.” Active participation increases your online presence and provides friends, followers, colleagues, recruiters and potential employers a glimpse of “you”!  Are you sending a consistent stream of information necessary to establish your unique personal brand? Have you reviewed and updated all other information available within your online profiles and your resume?

A Business2Community post, September: Update Your resume Month! Don’t Forget About Linkedin, by Personal Branding Blog offers great advice on updating your resume.

Need help updating your resume? Contact Martin Buckland, Certified Professional Resume Writer for a free resume critique.

A Tagline has long been a necessary marketing requirement for any successful company or business. “Good to the last drop”,  “Zoom Zoom”, “Let your fingers do the walking” and “Strong enough for a man but made for a woman”; all famous slogans or taglines used to successfully promote a product.

In addition to a professional resume, an online presence has become a mandatory requirement in managing an executive career. Professional profiles are expected to be found on Linkedin, Twitter and Facebook. Just as a business or organization markets a product, you too are the product requiring the necessary marketing collateral to establish yourself as a credible candidate with the necessary expertise to get the job. Personal Branding is key to establishing a memorable and respected identity and what better way to promote yourself online and off than with a tagline?

“Embraces and defeats challenges to achieve operational, management and fiscal excellence.”

“Persuasive and compelling Instructor renowned for delivering memorable training sessions.”

“Action-oriented leader, faces challenges, unravels and resolves critical business issues and encourages staff to maximize their potential.”

“Sets and maintains high standards, steers the company to deliver unparalleled results and outperform the competition.”

Unless you have established a long and exemplary career, your name may say little about you but associate it with a  tagline, maintained consistently and professionally, it could provide you with the recognition you need to excel in your career.

Whether you create your tagline for your resume, business cards or social media profiles it is sure to help you stand out from the crowd. Give consideration to where you want to be in your career, why you should be considered the ideal candidate and what will best describe your expertise? Create a tagline to be remembered, generate a positive influence and establish your competitive edge!

“I see the most recent position on your resume was from 2008 to 2011 and yet your previous employer said you left their organization in 2010. Can you explain this?”

“Your resume shows the title of your position as, VP but your Linkedin profile shows your title as Manager. Do you know what your title was when your were employed by this company?”

“The diploma you note in your resume does not reference a graduation date. Did you actually receive this accreditation and if so, in what year?”

“There is a substantial employment history gap in your resume. Was there any reason you did not want to share the information related to that time period?”

These may be questions generated by your resume but you will not have the opportunity to answer them in a job interview as the hiring professional will have eliminated you as a potential candidate. Your cover letter and resume must assure the reader you are the perfect candidate for the position to secure a job interview. If your resume generates more questions than answers, lacks pertinent details or appears to be embellished you will be cut from the competition.

If you have provided the answers in your resume that the HR professional or recruiter is looking for, you will be one step ahead of much of your competition and have the opportunity to sell yourself again in a job interview. Of course the answers in your resume must be relevant to the job description. As an accounting assistant, a solid resume will not eliminate the question, “Why are you applying for a position requiring a CGA designation?”

Does your resume generate questions or answers? Don’t take any chances! Obtain a free resume critique from a Certified Professional Resume Writer to ensure you don’t miss out on another job interview!

When to post an online comment publicly and when to post one privately should always be carefully deliberated. If there is any doubt how your comment will be received or if it could reflect negatively on you, don’t post it. There seems to be no shortage of public comments to inspire another blog reminding those to think before they post just as you should think before you speak. The difference is your oral comment will be a brief moment in time directed at a few rather than a permanent post in cyberspace for an audience of millions of people.

So often I see comments which are unfounded, rude, offensive or simply inappropriate. Surely this kind of behaviour and lack of professionalism is not generated from a conscious intent or purpose. Many will see a negative comment and immediately give the author a superstitious excuse such as, “they must have gotten up on the wrong side of the bed”. We simply don’t want to accept the spread of ill will as intentional.

In fact, I see so many inappropriate comments that I’ve decided it can’t possibly be a desire to publicly humiliate yourself or establish a negative personal brand but rather a lack of knowledge in the use of the various communication tools available. Take note of the following to ensure there is no mistake when you make a decision to post a private or a public online message:

When responding to an email the reply tab at the top allows you to Reply to Sender or Reply to All; choose wisely.

Text messaging from most phones allows for multiple recipients and forwarding.

If you’re using Twitter, What’s happening, retweets and @mentions are public. To send a private message select the recipient and choose the small envelope to the right.

Facebook allows you to post on your own wall and on a friends wall as well as commenting on other comments, tagging, and so much more which is all public however, you are able to select Privacy Settings from the drop down box under Account to allow friends of friends or just friends or a custom setting to sensor who will see your information. If you want to send a private message, select the recipient and then select Message at the top right. Keep in mind that although messages can be shared between two people the option is available to add people to the conversation in which case they will be able to see all the messages in the stream. There is also the option to forward any or all the messages to another party.

Linkedin is pretty consistent with many others with the option to compose a private message which can be sent to an established connection, to invite a new connection or initiate an introduction to connect. Privacy settings are available by selecting Settings from the drop down box under your name at the top right. Depending on the settings you choose, most of your activity will be public and posting an update will be shared with your connections.

Choose your settings carefully and if you decide your comments deserve public attention be sure the content will be suitable for many years to come!

September brings out the competition. If you put your job search on hold during the summer months, you are not unlike many others who are now back to work, back to school or readying their resume to engage in a full time job search.

HR professionals and recruiters are receiving double the number of resumes than what would have been submitted over the summer months. With an average time of 30 seconds allocated to review a resume, it is safe to say that the months of September and October will receive much less attention in order to manage the flood of resumes. How competitive is your resume?

In a matter of seconds, it will only take the glimpse of a minor mistake, one wrong move and the decision maker will have reason enough to send your resume to the recycle bin, if it even gets printed. The limited time available will not allow for a detailed examination of content until the number of resumes has been reduced to a manageable level putting your resume in a highly competitive process of elimination.

It is a rare occasion that a resume is not sent via the Internet. What program are you using to send your resume? What font are you using? What format? First and foremost your resume and cover letter must be accessed in order to be reviewed. Send it to yourself, a friend, colleague or family member as a test to ensure it can be opened and read and remains in the format created. If you choose to use a .docx rather than a .doc, it is possible that someone will not be able to download it. If you choose a font which is not commonly used, it is possible that someone will open it that does not have that font available. If you are not careful with formatting your documents, you could have someone open up a 2 page document that spans 4 pages. A competitive resume will be easily downloaded and viewed as sent.

Competitive resumes will look professional with a consistent font type, size, limited white space and free of underlining or shading. 2 to 4 pages is the acceptable length in addition to a cover letter addressed to an individual which relates to the position and highlights the necessary experience and qualifications which will be supported in your resume.

Minor typos and grammatical errors will not be overlooked. If you do not put the time and effort in to preparing your resume without mistakes it will be seen as a reflection of your work. A competitive resume will have been spell checked, grammar checked and reviewed by a Certified Professional Resume Writer prior to being submitted for consideration as a potential candidate.

Is your name clearly displayed with the necessary contact details including a Linkedin address? Do you have an enticing tag line? Are soft skills and hard skills clearly defined? Beginning with your most recent position, is your title highlighted? Are accomplishments noted in bullet form beginning with an action verb and explained clearly as a situation, task, action and result? Have you included all of the relevant keywords and explained any significant employment gaps? Are all dates displayed for degrees, diplomas or other accreditation’s?

How competitive is your resume?

Will your current occupation or industry continue to be a viable one despite changing trends and technological advances? The Milkman, the Iceman, Telegraph Operator and Lector are just a few of the occupations described in this interesting article, The Jobs of Yesteryear; Obsolete Occupations. Long forgotten and for many, jobs never heard of, a list that will continue to grow as we move forward in time.

Managing a successful executive career entails due diligence in monitoring industry trends and global economic forecasts to ensure the career path you have established is a viable one. Change is inevitable, whether related to technology or trends and it is with knowledge and acceptance that you will gain the competitive edge necessary to maintain a successful career or secure consideration as a potential candidate in a job search.

A decision to seek a job producing or selling ice boxes when refrigerators and freezers were ramping up production to meet sales would not have been a prudent one. The impact of the rising price of oil on the auto industry has been apparent and you need only look at the selling price of a used Hummer and the decision to end production. The fate of the ice box or the Hummer was to many, foreseeable but there will always be those who, despite all indications otherwise did not agree. A lack of knowledge or a resistance to accept anything new had many refusing to buy a microwave. Did you have one in your home in the early 80′s?

In addition to staying current with industry and economic trends, history is a wonderful source for gaining knowledge and acceptance. You need only review the many jobs and industries of the past to understand the impact of technological advancements and economic conditions on a career. Today, there are many who do not believe an online presence is a key factor in managing a successful career or that mobile devices are overtaking sales of computers but not so long ago there were also those who did not believe the Wright brothers could fly either!

Hopefully you have had your resume read by everyone you know including a Certified Professional Resume Writer before sending it out to an HR professional or recruiter. A professional resume is a critical component in any job search. It is a document that will get you in the door for a job interview or dismiss you from consideration. If for any reason it does not impress the decision maker, you will be eliminated as a potential candidate so it is in your best interest to have it read by a professional but don’t stop there. Your resume will be distributed to a wide range of decision makers so acquiring feedback from multiple sources will also be beneficial and who better to request support than from family and friends? As your strongest supporters, friends and family are likely to be forthright in their evaluation of your resume and those close to you may also remind you of an impressive achievement that you might otherwise have long forgotten.

Don’t miss an opportunity to network and welcome more support by sharing or exchanging your resume with colleagues. Offer feedback on what impresses you when you review their resume. Will your most impressive attributes and accomplishments stand out when your resume is scrutinized? Acquiring constructive and positive feedback will help to ensure your resume will get the attention you want and inspire continued networking; the most successful job search tool.

The resume writing support from friends, family and colleagues can be very helpful, although none are likely to be Certified Professional Resume Writers, so be sure to seek out the professionals before you submit your resume to apply for a position. Typo’s, contact information lacking a home address, phone number or Linkedin address, employment history gaps, inappropriate personal information, lack of quantifiable accomplishments, missing graduation dates or too many pages are just a few reasons your resume could result in your elimination as a potential candidate.

An experienced Certified Professional Resume Writer knows what decision makers are looking for so get your resume read by submitting it for a free resume critique from a Certified Professional Resume Writer to ensure you will get the job interview you are seeking.

Richard Bolles has done it again, What Color Is Your Parachute?, A Practical Manual For Job-Hunters And Career-Changers 2012. Revised and updated annually with over 10 million copies sold, it is the best selling job-hunting book in the world!

Martin Buckland is proud to be mentioned in this 40th edition as the Canadian career expert! Richard includes the link to Martin’s list of 2,010 action verbs at Elite Resumes available for free when you sign up: 

Be sure to check out this new anniversary edition of What Color Is Your Parachute?, another amazing resource for job seekers!

If you thought your Linkedin profile was all you needed to maintain a successful professional online presence, you may want to review the following post from ere.net, Why Facebook Will Destroy Linkedin. Key factors include the numbers, Facebook with over 750 million users and Linkedin with 120 million users combined with what has been a slowly emerging acknowledgement that Facebook is not just for kids!

As you may have read in the many blog posts here at Elite Resumes, a Linkedin profile is the absolute minimum requirement for an online presence. It’s been over 2 years since a Certified Professional Resume has been written here that did not include a Linkedin address as part of the contact details. Although Facebook and Twitter addresses are not often included they have become the top search sites for HR professionals and recruiters. If you can’t be found it could be reason enough to eliminate you as a potential candidate due to insufficient corroborative information.

The following Facebook Page for businesses, https://www.facebook.com/business provides the information necessary to establish a page for your business but marketing your business is not so different from marketing yourself as a professional. The consumer may vary but the need to market and clearly brand a product to entice interest is the same. Your personal brand and a professional online profile highlighting your expertise is the marketing collateral necessary to sell yourself to HR professionals and recruiters. Most professionals are not experts in marketing and even those with expertise within the industry rarely succeed at marketing themselves so it is in your best interest to consider the resources offered by an executive career management professional.

A Facebook profile does provide the ability to manage friends by creating individual lists but creating a separate Facebook Page provides the opportunity to establish another professional presence with a highly significant Google ranking. The following links will take you to a few Facebook Pages that are getting noticed.

Social Media Examiner posts the finalists in their Top 10 Small Business Facebook Page contest.

http://www.facebook.com/ExecutiveCareerManagement

http://www.facebook.com/EliteResumes

Dismissed, let go, downsized or laid off! It doesn’t matter what term is used to describe it, they all SUCK! Although it is rarely a personal issue, it is impossible not to take it personally! Most will feel alone, rejected and scared combined with shock, disbelief, resentment, anger, overwhelming self pity and shame. All of those negative emotions can lead to some poorly made decisions so despite the emotional roller coaster that you will be riding for at least a few days, do your best to hold on tight and ride the waves of emotion.

Don’t go to the bar! Do go to the gym. Share the news only with those who truly care about you and have the ability to be both empathetic and supportive. If you believe the company or organization is not offering a fair and acceptable severance package seek legal advice immediately.

Worrying about the future will not change anything so think of your job loss as an unexpected holiday and your traumatic experience will become much more bearable, at least for the short term.

As much as we would like to believe all employees are respected and regarded as more than a name or a number, this isn’t always the reality of the situation at the corporate level and downsizing a department may be related simply to the number of employees or length of tenure rather than the individual so don’t take it personally. If the opportunity was given to prepare a case for NOT ME prior to the company issuing the “pink slip” you might have the right to say WHY ME but that doesn’t happen either.

Join a networking organization for those in career transition as soon as possible. You’ll discover losing a job is as common as acquiring one and any sense you had of being the only one who ever lost a job will quickly vanish.

So stand tall, accept that you have been fired, canned, terminated, dismissed, let go, downsized or laid off along with millions of others! Again, you are not alone. This one closed door will result in an awareness of many open doors, one of which could be the opportunity of a lifetime. Keep an open mind and remain optimistic. You could be ready for a Human Detour.

Martin Buckland has been providing executive career management services since 1993. For further information or to obtain a free resume critique contact Elite Resumes.

Changing industries and trends are a critical factor in managing any career or business, noted in Where Are The Jobs? and Top Factors Influencing Career Advancement. We are reminded every day of the economic and social implications associated with technological advancements, an aging demographic, reduced birthrates, environmental challenges and organizational trends. Perhaps it is the constant flow of data along with the dramatic statistics that softens the response to one of complacency. The facts may not induce a stir but you may find the impact of changing industries and trends astonishingly evident in the following poem written by a resident of Arnprior, Ontario:

Requiem for a Railway

Nameless migrant horde

Toiling on through rock and plain

Fleshing out a dream

 

Slender winding thread

Shining steel from shore to shore

Forged our nation’s bond

 

Sturdy peasant stock

Coonskin coat with hope held high

Sett’lin in the West

 

Miles and miles of cars!

Prairie wheat and hard-rock ore

Country’s live blood flow

 

Trouble flames afar

Fresh-faced youth now khaki clad

Answer freedom’s call

 

Family holiday!

Mom and Dad with kids in tow

Trav’lin’ on the train

 

Silent rusting rails

Rotting ties and weed-choked beds

Once proud era ends

 

~Edward Graham

CSTD Presentation, September 22. 2011

Learn how social media has changed how we do business. Find out which social media sites you need to have a presence on and how to use them. Discover the power you have to generate opportunities by embracing a global community!