Gerald Walsh
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PINNACLE AN ESSENTIAL RESOURCE FOR EVERY JOB SEEKER How would it feel if you looked forward to going to work every morning? If the work you did was interesting and challenging and done with people you like and respect? If your responsibilities aligned with your education and experience and you felt you were being paid fairly for your efforts? and Find Fulfillment in Your Career and Find Fulfillment in How to Land the Right Job Whether you are 30 years old and still trying to get launched on the right career path, 45 and still moving up the corporate ladder, or 60 and seeking meaningful work in the last phase of your career, Pinnacle: How to Land the Right Job and Find Fulfillment in Your Career presents a roadmap to find the PINNACLE job best suited to you. How to Land the Right Job Presented with practical tips and real-life stories from Gerald Walsh’s extensive experience in the recruiting field, you’ll gain valuable insights about yourself, and Find Fulfillment in Your Career learn new approaches to the job search, and develop hands-on strategies for achieving career success. · · · Gerald Walsh is one of Canada’s foremost experts in human resources and a highly Gerald Walsh successful executive recruiter, career coach, public speaker and blogger. During a 25+ year career, he has interviewed more than 10,000 job applicants, completed hundreds of successful searches for a wide range of organizations, and guided many individuals – from young professionals to senior executives – to successful career change. Gerald Walsh Pinnacle 7x10 FINAL REVISED Feb4.indd 1 2016-02-04 10:25 AM PINNACLE …………………………………………………………………………… How to Land the Right Job and Find Fulfillment in Your Career …………………………………………………………………………… GERALD WALSH Copyright © Gerald Walsh Associates Inc., 2016 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, scanned, photocopied, or distributed by any means, whether printed or electronic form, without permission in writing from the publisher. ISBN 978-0-9949636-0-4 (Print version) ISBN 978-0-9949636-1-1 (ePub) ISBN 978-0-9949636-2-8 (PDF) Published by: Gerald Walsh Associates Inc. Halifax, Canada For more information about career coaching and public speaking, or to order additional copies of this book, pleased contact: Gerald Walsh Associates Inc. (902) 421-1676 Or visit our website www.GeraldWalsh.com TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction SECTION 1: THE PLAN 1. Can You Afford to Follow Your Passion 12 2. What’s Your Story? 17 3. Assessing Your Skills and Abilities 23 4. You’ll Be Happier If Your Work and Values Align 28 5. Learn From Previous Jobs 37 6. Translate Your Interests Into Career Options 42 7. What Do You Want From Your Work? 48 8. Pulling It All Together 53 SECTION 2: THE TOOLBOX 9. How To Build An Extraordinary Resume 58 10. Write a Cover Letter That Shows You Are Qualified 73 11. Using Social Media to Find a Job 81 12. Choose Your References Carefully 87 SECTION 3: THE SEARCH 13. Job Hunting Myths 94 14. The Marketing Mindset 98 15. Using Your Personal Connections to Generate Leads 102 16. Connecting With Employers Directly 114 17. Establish Relationships With Recruiters 123 18. Responding to Publicized Job Openings 128 SECTION 4: THE INTERVIEW 19. What to Expect in an Interview 136 20. Overcoming Interview Anxiety 144 21. Anticipate the Questions You’ll be Asked 148 22. Leave a Lasting Impression to Stand Out 161 23. Avoid Jargon 168 24. How to Respond to Illegal Interview Questions 170 25. Strange and Silly Interview Questions 173 26. Being Interviewed by Skype 177 27. Understanding the Hiring Manager’s Objections 181 28. Pass the Lunch Test 185 29. Questions You Can Ask the Interviewer 188 30. Conduct a Post-Mortem 193 31. Always Send a Thank-You Note 196 32. So, You Didn’t Get the Job 200 SECTION 5: THE OFFER 33. The Anatomy of a Job Offer 204 34. Use Your Head, Not Your Heart 211 35. Determine What You Are Worth 218 36. Negotiate Like a Pro 220 37. Accept the Offer With Enthusiasm 227 38. Decline the Offer Without Burning Bridges 231 39. Quit With Class 234 SECTION 6: THE NEW JOB 40. Strategies to Guarantee Success in Your New Job 240 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ABOUT THE AUTHOR Introduction . Are you happy in your career? . Do you wake up every morning looking forward to going to work? . Is the work you do interesting and challenging? . Are you spending time at work with people you like and bosses you respect? . Are you being paid fairly for your efforts? . Are you proud to tell your friends and family who you work for and what you do? . Does your employer offer you the opportunity to learn and advance? . Do your values align with your employer’s values? . Do you feel energized at the end of a work day? The odds are that you have answered ‘no’ to all or at least several of these questions. But consider for a moment. What would it feel like to be able to answer ‘yes’ to every one of those questions? What would it feel like if your work was like play: something you looked forward to doing? What would it feel like if you were at the top of your game all the time and the envy of your peers, family and friends? This book can help you get there. That’s because the principles that I will share with you apply universally to anybody looking to get the most out of their career. Whether you are a young professional still trying to get launched on the right career path, at mid-career and hoping to advance your career, or at late-career and seeking meaningful work in the last phase of your career, PINNACLE: How to Land the Right Job and Find Fulfillment in Your Career will help you find meaning, fun and fair pay from your career. How do I do this? I have been an executive recruiter for over 25 years. During those years, I have completed thousands of searches at the management and professional levels, placing individuals in key positions like Chief Executive Officer, President, Vice President, General Manager, Executive Director, Chief Administrative 1 PINNACLE Officer, and so on. I have also successfully placed individuals in more junior positions such as Business Analyst, Marketing Coordinator, Customer Service Representatives, Executive Assistant, Human Resource Assistant, and others. The organizations that use my services include major corporations, owner- managed businesses, not-for-profit associations, governments and NGOs. Over those years, they have entrusted me with the important task of finding great people for their organizations. In turn, I take very seriously the business of advising them on the type of people to hire. In doing these searches, I have personally interviewed more than 10,000 people. Yes, 10,000 individuals who have taken me into their confidence and shared valuable and personal information with me about their careers and their lives. I’ve learned what’s worked and not worked for them throughout their careers. Now I want to share this experience with you. How my own career has influenced this book Like so many things in life, including careers, success is a combination of talent, effort and good fortune (otherwise known as “luck”). This formula certainly applies to me and it has radically altered my thinking about the role of people in making any business successful. After finishing my MBA, I joined a small dental supply business as its controller, even though I didn’t know that much about accounting. I mention this job because in hindsight it was one of my smartest career moves, although I didn’t realize it at the time. You see, working for a small company, especially early in your career, gives you the opportunity to experience things you would never experience in a larger company. The owner put me in charge (at 23 years of age) of the accounting department where I managed a staff of five people, dealt with the company’s banker and outside accountant, managed the cash flow, and generally oversaw anything related to finances. No big company would have given me that level of responsibility at such a young age. (I recommend this strategy of working for a small company to any young person hoping to kick start their career. The experience you will get is invaluable as it will give you the opportunity to do things you would never get to do otherwise.) The coffee break story After working for a few years in the dental supply business and obtaining my CPA professional accounting designation, I started to get impatient and began 2 Introduction my search for another job. During my search, I came across two good opportunities, both paying roughly the same salary. One was as a commercial banker, lending to mid-sized businesses, and the other was a finance manager role with a major telecommunications company. Looking back, it’s interesting to see how career decisions are influenced. I can recall being interviewed one morning at the head office of the telecommunications company. The interview was going well and I liked the people who were interviewing me. I could sense that they also liked me and were interested in having me join them. But something happened that morning that turned me off to that opportunity. What happened was that at 10:15 am, the entire department got up from their desks and en masse marched out the door to go on their 15-minute coffee break. It was just like the fire alarm had rung and everybody was marching dutifully to the exit.