Fwd: Career Resources, Tips, and Openings
Maren Souders
From: "Vicki Lind" <Vicki...@mail.vresp.com>Date: April 19, 2011 10:32:13 AM PDTSubject: Career Resources, Tips, and OpeningsReply-To: "Vicki Lind" <reply-f6aac9a290...@u.cts.vresp.com>
Warm Greetings,
Each season I enjoy updating my friends, clients, and colleagues about my rich work as a career counselor and marketing coach. Especially rewarding is working with kindred spirits: creatives and people who want to make a difference.
People keep asking "Is it getting better out there?" By talking with other career professionals and observing my client successes, I give a cautious "thumbs up." For example, one client just landed a position as energy auditor for PECI, another is interviewing for a communications position with a parks department, and a third is a contender for a leadership position in a multi-cultural non-profit. If you, or someone you know, needs encouragement for the long haul, I recommend recent posts on the blog by local career counselors, Career Transition: The Inside Job, which you can read here.
Please read on for LinkedIn tips, encore career success stories, Portland job search support groups, and openings in my affordable Marketing for Creatives group.
Sincerely,
Vicki Lind, M.S.
vlind.comNext Steps On LinkedIn
When you start a job search or career change, everyone in the know recommends you start by joining LinkedIn. When approaching something new seems overwhelming, I always chunk it down into steps. For me, getting started has three doable steps. First, create a profile; second, invite people who may already be in your address book to become contacts; and third, join a few groups in your field of interest. If you have not yet completed these activities, don't muddle your brain by reading the rest of this article just yet. If you have already crossed these "should do" steps off your list, enjoy this accomplishment for a while.
And then what? Waiting for someone to find your profile and express an interest in your expertise is wishful thinking unless your expertise is in hot demand. The options for making LinkedIn work for the rest of you are dizzying. Two of my favorites are requesting informational interviews with people in your groups and using companies' LinkedIn employer sites to examine career paths with a target employer.
Informational interviews can be done over the phone if someone you want to talk with lives in another city, or you can meet for a cup of tea if the person is local. Such interviews usually entail a request for a 20-minute meeting with someone who has expertise in your current or desired field or networking potential for a target employer. Portland career management professional Joshua Waldman, founder of the CareerEnlightenment.net blog and author of the forthcoming Job Searching with Social Media for Dummies, provides an excellent example of how to use LinkedIn to connect with someone:
Hi Joshua,
I obtained your name through the Boston University MBA LinkedIn Group. I graduated from the School of Management last year and I am in the process of making a career transition. It would be helpful for me to ask you questions about your experiences as a Sales Account Manager for Cisco. I am not expecting to discuss a particular employment position but I would appreciate being able to talk with you on an informational basis.
I thank you in advance.
Regards,
This is the perfect email format. Let's look at the key elements:
- She told me how she found me, the BU Group.
- She gave me just enough background info about herself so I can know why she chose to reach out to me, her graduation date and her career transition.
- She told me the topic that she wanted to discuss with me.
- She made sure I knew she wasn't trying to solicit me for a job, and she didn't sound desperate.
- The email was short and to the point, clearly respecting my time.
You can read Joshua Waldman's full article here.
A second, more advanced LinkedIn capability that I've been exploring with clients is researching career paths within potential target employers. The toolbar at the top of your LinkedIn home page has a Companies tab. Clicking on the tab can take you to a company's most recent hires, show you how/if you are connected to them, and let you read their profiles so you can see if they have backgrounds similar to yours. You will also find company size and the most common job titles in the company. One of my clients with a business degree and experience as a basketball coach wanted to see if starting as a Sales Associate in an adidas outlet was a good path to a professional position in marketing at adidas. In his mid-thirties, he certainly didn't want to be stuck in a low-paying retail position for very long. On the adidas LinkedIn site we were able to find several people in the corporate marketing department whose path began as a Sales Associate before they progressed to Team Lead and then to several jobs he truly desired, such as Product Marketing Specialist and Project Manager. Through LinkedIn, he signed up to get notified by email about jobs posted by adidas.
Marketing For Creatives Group- Free Introduction April 29th
An 8-person group of creatives will give you the spark and support to attract more clients. If you are starting a solo creative business or need a marketing strategy for your existing business, you'll develop and carry out a marketing plan that fits your style. Have fun while becoming accountable to your commitments to action!
To test the waters, you are welcome to attend April 29th and/or May 6th to decide if Vicki's individualized approach will work for you. Over 25 references available from past successful clients including one or more copywriters, designers, industrial designers, mixed-media artists, and speakers/authors.
Meets: 1st and 3rd Friday of each month, 9:30-11:30 am, beginning May 6th.
Free introduction on April 29th, also 9:30-11:30 am.
Location: 2625 SE Hawthorne, Suite A, Portland, OR 97214
Cost: $200 for five months
RSVP: vl...@teleport.com or 503-284-1115
Encore Career Success Story
As a career counselor, I enjoy working with clients who want to plan for an encore career. One of my past clients, Susan Gilson, began planning such a transition within the last year of a demanding 25-year administrative career with an educational organization. Instead of applause, her auditory guide was to find something that "rings my bells."
As a result of reflection and assessment activities, Susan found two options that produced such a tingle. One was opening an ice cream store; another was working with seniors. During her year-long research process, she volunteered with a hospice program and at a retirement center—then came the tingle! Today Gilson is director of a busy downtown Portland meal site for the nonprofit organization Loaves & Fishes, where she enjoys working with clients and volunteers.
Susan's career transition is one of five encore success stories described in an article by Martha Wagner posted in March on a Portland news website. You can read the article here.
Finding A Job Support Group That Fits
There are now several excellent free or inexpensive job search support groups in Portland, each with different locations, times, and formats. For example, Cleon Cox's longstanding Friday group uses a round-robin format where you can share and hone your basic message to make networking contacts. Another model is a Monday afternoon/evening group that meets at Marylhurst University and usually features a guest speaker who is knowledgeable about job search strategies.The Breakfast Club, for executives and senior management, meets every other Tuesday at 7:30 am at the Prudential offices, Suite 140, conference room, Five Centerpointe Drive, Lake Oswego, OR 97035. Check with Andrew Beach at abe...@pru-nw.com before attending.
Marketing for Creatives meets on the first and third Friday of each month, 9:30-11:30 am, beginning May 6, at 2625 SE Hawthorne St., Suite A, Portland, OR 97214. Free introduction on April 29 at the same time, $200 for five months. RSVP to vl...@teleport.com or 503-284-1115.
Funnel and Focus, for women 50+, meets on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month, 7-9 pm, at Vicki Lind's office, 2625 SE Hawthorne St., Suite A, Portland, OR 97214. Limited to 10 members; $45 for two months. http://www.vlind.com/funnel.html
Job Finders Support Group, for all people looking for their next role, meets Friday at 12 pm at the Capitol Hill Library, 10723 SW Capitol Highway, Portland, OR 97219. Free and open to the public. Facilitated by Cleon Cox III. http://www.jobfinderssupport.com/support_group.htm
Lake Grove Job Seekers meets Mondays 8-10 pm at the Lake Grove Presbyterian Church, Hub Room, 2nd floor, 4040 Sunset Drive, Lake Oswego, OR 97035. Free and open to the public. http://www.lakegrovepres.org/care/documents/JobSeekerBrochure.pdf
Marylhurst Job Support Group meets Mondays 4-7 pm at Marylhurst University, 17600 Pacific Highway (Hwy 43), Baxter Hall, Marylhurst, OR 97036. Free and open to the public. http://www.marylhurst.edu/careerservices/job-seeker-support-group.php
Welldiggers (professional and networking) meets first Thursday each month at 7:30 am at Buffalo Gap Saloon and Eatery, 6835 SW Macadam, Portland, OR 97219. $5 including coffee etc. http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/AllWelldiggers/
If you have additions or corrections, please contact me at vl...@teleport.com.
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Vicki Lind
2625 SE Hawthorne Blvd
Portland, OR 97214
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