Inspiration, motivation, determination, drive, confidence! All are necessary components of a successful job search. In today’s economy we are dealing with record high unemployment rates, a fiercely competitive job market and an average of 10 months to secure a senior executive position! It is not always easy to stay positive and sometimes all we need is a Time Out, even it’s just for a few minutes, to gain a little inspiration.

Double click on this image and enjoy a Time Out:

If you are in need of more than a “Time Out”, contact Elite Resumes to receive professional advice on managing your executive career.

The decision to retain the services of a Career Coach is a positive move towards a successful and fulfiling career. The following questions will help you to decide if it’s the right move for you:

Are you confident in the direction your career is going?
Are you involved in an industry that has future growth protential?
Are you considering changing jobs or switching careers?
Are you facing a layoff or downsizing?
Are you unable to get a job interview?
Are you getting the interview but not the job?
Are you frustrated in your current position?
Are you finding it difficult to develop a clear vision and objectives?
Are you feeling lonely at the top?
Are you having difficulty inspiring your team?
Are you in need of professional support and guidance?
Are you interested in discovering a career you are passionate about?

Are you ready to make a positive move? Contact Martin Buckland to inquire today.

Wallace Immen writes, “JOB HUNTING 101… A Guide For The New Realities of These Tougher Times” for the Globe and Mail. According to career coaches, Ward Garven, Stanton Chase Int’l; Wayne Pagani, WP Consulting Assoc; Sharon Graham, Graham Managment; Molly Fletcher; Heidi Allison, Allison & Talylor Inc and Cassandra Gierden, Profit Coaching, it is safe to say times have changed when it comes to your job search!

It’s out with the old and in with the ”new” reality tips from these career coaches:

Old – “Stick to what you know”.
New – “Convince them there’s nothing you can’t do.”

Old – “Call or get together with everyone you can.”
New – “Use technology, especially social networking sites , to spread the word and even let employers find you.”

Old – “A resume is a document for the records, not a requirement for getting in the door.”
New – “A resume must scream your value or it will hit the trash.”

Old – “Don’t be a nag.”
New – “Remind them over and over of your value.”

Old – “Former employers can only confirm basic facts, so references are really a formatilty.”
New – “References are a make-or-break essential.”

Old – “If they want you they’ll pay up.”
New – “The lid is on salary offers, but you should still negotiate for extras.”

Old – “Hold out for your dream job.”
New – Jobs are tight. You may have to compromise, but you don’t have to give up your dream.”

“Ten Steps to Find a New Job”, by Alison Doyle, About.com provides more excellent tips and stategies for today’s job search.

Contact Martin Buckland for further information on career coaching and additional job search strategies.

More than ever before, the competition in today’s job search market is fierce! In order to be competitive, you must know yourself! You need to have the ability to clearly identify your hard skills and your soft skills. Why should you be considered as a candidate for the position you are seeking? What skills do you have that will bring value add to a future employer/company?

Can you clearly define your dream job? How do your skills, strengths and weaknesses measure up? What is the significance of your background and do you fully understand the relevance of your experience?

If you are not able to define the ideal job, or clearly articulate, “YOU”, you are not alone. However, you may feel like you are all alone when you are left behind the competition in your job search! By seeking the advice of a Career Coach, you will receive the direction necessary to steer you along the stepping stones of your career.

Call now and find out more about “YOU” and how you can succeed in your career!

Whether you are building a house or managing your career your success will be determined by a strong foundation.  In your career, your resume is your foundation. Your career can take you in many directions but your advancement, your success, will be directly related to opportunities.  By maintaining a professional resume you will ensure your opportunities for job interviews are secured and not lost.

Your resume is the tool that opens doors for you and every door it opens is another potential opportunity.  Consequently, you could be missing out on many opportunities if your resume is not well written. Do you remember The Price is Right? Imagine Bob Barker, (or Drew Carey), saying to you, “Come on down!”, and instead of giving you an option to bid on one item, he gives you the opportunity to bid on everything! You can be assured of increasing your opportunities in your job search with a professionally written resume! And with more options, you have a better chance of making sure, ”the price is right”, for you.

Martin Buckland is currently providing career coaching for a client in need of turning down job opportunities!  Since he is responsible for preparing the resume that has successfully provided the opportunity of multiple job offers, this is coaching he is pleased to accept.

Even if you choose to write your own resume, take advantage of a free resume critique! If you create a good foundation with a professionally written resume, it will provide you with the opportunities needed on your path to a successful career.

CareerBuilder.com has released a new survey of unusual (and fun) jobs. With so many serious issues in today’s turbulent economy, it seems a break from the norm is in order. For the top results from 8,700 workers reporting unconventional jobs held during their career go to http://tinyurl.com/6fyx4y to check out the full list from A to Z.

These are my favourites:

• Cat Nanny
• Elf at Santa’s Workshop
• Quality control/taster for chocolate factory

And these are my not so favourites:

• Autopsy Assistant
• Grave Digger
• Parachute Tester
• Yawn counter at a sleep clinic

What do you think? Anything here that may inspire you to consider a career change? On a more serious note, if you are interested in a professional résumé or require some professional career coaching during your transition give us a call.

Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, MySpace, YouTube, just to name a few, are websites that are available for anyone to share information online.  The following blogs, also just to name a few, have been written about sharing information online and the consequences, positive or negative that can result.  The basic message really is, use a little common sense when you post information to your online sites.

The Influence and the Power of Your Words

Online Posting and Your Reputation

Social vs. Professional Online Networking Sites

Hundreds of articles continue to show up regarding the demise of individuals who are not using common sense when posting information online.  Virgin Atlantic sacks 13 staff after Facebook criticism!  Yes, 13 of Virgin Atlantic’s cabin staff were sacked after they made a conscious decision to go online and criticize the company that employed them and the customers that support the company!  A spokesperson for Virgin Atlantic said, “There is a time and a place for Facebook.  But there is no justification for it to be used as a sounding board for staff of a company to criticise the very passengers who ultimately pay their salaries”.

Using a little common sense when sharing online information will help to serve your best interests, especially if consideration is given prior to posting it for the world to see.  News travels fast.

In today’s economic crisis, the number one job available is in SALES!  These positions are currently the most sought after as an increase in sales could potentially be the key factor in the survival of many companies caught up in today’s economic turmoil.

Increasing sales is one of the few definitive options available to the decision makers of many companies and organizations at a time when so much is beyond their control.  The fluctuating dollar, volatile stock markets and wavering economies of neighbouring countries have resulted in widespread, growing concerns over the viability of many businesses.  An economic crisis, forecasted by some, as the worst since the Great Depression of the 30′s.

Many people are currently in career transition and those who are not could potentially be in the near future.  Statistics show a continuing decline in the length of tenure in all executive positions.  Although it may not seem to be at the time, this transition can be a positive opportunity for your career development.  By acquiring knowledge and a clear understanding of current trends in our market place, recognizing the significance of fulfilling your own needs, focussing on your strengths and following your passion you can set the goals needed to create a path to success.

If you require the professional advice of a career transition coach, professional branding strategist or master resume writer please do not hesitate to contact us.

Some of us are firm believers in what goes around, comes around and as professionals, we spend a great deal of our time networking. Successful networking involves sharing information, experiences, and most importantly, our needs. Understanding what we can do for others and what they can do for us and then following through will sooner or later result in what goes around, comes around.

Promoting my expertise online as well as my relentless networking generates many calls to my business line and I do speak directly to all potential clients and associates.  Yesterday I received a call from a potential client that I had never spoken to or knew of prior to the call.  He was rude, disrespectful, abrupt and was quick to relay his needs, “I don’t need a resume, I need a job”, just prior to disconnecting the call.  Although my expertise includes that of a Master Resume Writer, I also hold other credentials, including that of Branding Strategist, Career Transition Coach and Employment Interview Professional.  If this person had had the foresight to listen to what information I required from him, it would have been possible for me to address his needs.

Who you know, is likely to be a key factor in advancing your career, or not!  There is a reason that we are being overloaded with information on personal branding.  First impressions are critical.  It sets the stage and is very likely the only impression that anyone is left with.  Did you leave them with a positive impression?  Did you have a positive impression of them?  Would they recommend you?  Would you recommend them?

Did you know that most hiring professionals have a standard practice after a job interview to ask the individual at reception what they thought of the potential candidate?  The next time you are face to face with someone or the next time you pick up the phone you may want to think about the impression you want to leave with that person.  Someday, that person could be a very influential force in your future because, what goes around comes around.

“We cannot teach people anything; we can only help them discover it within themselves.”
~Galileo Galile

“As you become more clear about who you really are, you’ll be better able to decide what is best for you – the first time around.”
~Oprah Winfrey

“I wanted to be an editor or a journalist, I wasn’t really interested in being an entrepreneur, but I soon found I had to become an entrepreneur in order to keep my magazine going.”
~Richard Branson

“If you really want something you can figure out how to make it happen.”
~Cher

“You are your first product, so positioning yourself in the market as an individual is extremely important”
~Portia Isaacson

“My career always took me away from home, I was always away from home and I just wanted to be at home.”
~Tina Turner

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”
Martin Luther King, Jr

“Most people work just hard enough not to get fired and get paid just enough money not to quit.”
~George Carlin

“Learning is one of life’s most treasured gifts. We can choose to float along in life, existing on what is handed to us or we can learn to manifest our dreams into reality.”
~Lorraine Leslie, editor Women with Vision

If you listen and learn, become inspired and follow your passion, you will advance your career and enhance your personal life.

Want a job? Scholarship? Watch what you post! This article written by Andrea Gordon for the Toronto Star provides a wealth of information for the whole family on the potential perils of online activity and sharing.

A study produced by Pew Internet & American Life Project found 93 percent of kids ages 12 to 17 used the internet and of those, two thirds are involved in at least one type of content creation through Web pages, blogs or social networking.  Another article, Teacher’s flock to Facebook to be where the kids are, says Canada is one of the fastest growing Facebook markets in the world with more than 3 million users.

Unfortunately, many teens are not fully aware, or simply don’t care about the ramifications that can result from the personal material they post.  And that much of the information they post is accessible to parents, police, professors, predators, employers and the media.  It may be fun today but could the information they post themselves or what is posted by their friends put their reputations at risk?  One question teens need to ask themselves is, “Are you creating an image of yourself that you will be proud of in 5 or 10 years?”

This article is worth the read providing lots of information, additional resources and important tips for teens to protect their online reputation.

Career Coaching is a methodology available to help people achieve job and career satisfaction.  If compared to career counseling, coaching is more results oriented, less structured and more guided by the clients’ agenda.  While similar to consulting, which focuses on solving problems through providing the right answers, coaching focuses on asking the right questions.  Unlike therapy, which deals with the past to solve current issues, coaching begins in the present and focuses on moving clients forward to get more of what they want in the future.

Here are a few more definitions to clarify what career coaching is:

“…a hands-on partnership offering individualized attention and custom-tailored solutions to achieve your professional goals.”

“…a partnership to discover your true passion and mission in life, to produce extraordinary results in your life, career, business or organization.”

“…prepares you to effectively leverage who you are – your identity, purpose, values and motivators with your knowledge, skills, interests and experience.”

“…focuses on the needs of individuals to find fulfillment and satisfaction in their career”

Whether it is career coaching, management coaching or leadership coaching, it is one of the most highly sought after expertise today.  A qualified coach will recognize the talents and skills of their client and coach them to gain clarity, confidence and the power to succeed.

Are you in a satisfying and fulfilling career?  If yes, congratulations!  If no, we would be happy to discuss how we can help you achieve this.