============================================ "Achieve Your Dreams" - Volume 4, March 2004 ============================================ Greetings! Welcome to "Achieve Your Dreams", a bi-monthly newsletter for people with a dream - - whether it's accelerating a career, changing careers, building a business, securing a new job, achieving that long-desired goal, or discovering a new life vision and direction. Each newsletter will offer 1-2 noteworthy articles, a section on "Office Happenings" and "Helpful Resources", and some favorite quotes and sayings to motivate and inspire you. In this issue: 1. "Does Your Resume TELL IT or SELL IT?" 2. "5 Steps to a Successful Negotiation" 3. Office Happenings ("Women For Hire" Job Fair) 4. Helpful Resources (An Excellent Book on Networking) 5. Favorite Quotes Feel free to forward this to those you believe would find it helpful. Feedback is encouraged and appreciated. If there is a specific topic you'd like covered, please send the suggestion to me via the e-mail address below. Enjoy ... ============================================= YOUR RESUME - Does It "TELL IT" OR "SELL IT"? ============================================= Professionals in the resume writing business look at a LOT of resumes, and viewing dozens a week and hundreds or even thousands a year, makes it easy to spot common flaws that can make or break your job search. One of these flaws is the over-reliance on "telling it" - over-detailing job duties and position descriptions - and not enough on "selling it" - communicating the value you offer by highlighting the benefits and results of your activities. In most cases, a brief job description is enough to "set the stage" for your achievements. Employers understand the common job duties of most positions, so there's no need to list the details of your day-to-day routine. Instead of using space on the page to tell readers what they already know, use the "sell-it" strategy to convey the importance of what you did. Compare the relative impact of these two descriptions: TELL-IT STRATEGY... Sales Engineer Directly responsible for Chicago territory sales. Expanded and maintained customer account base, as well as promoted new hardware and software to accommodate all upgrade and service needs. Communicated problems and application queries to technical support group, and also acted as the liaison between customer and home office. Communicated interfacing and inter- networking needs for development and integration. Wrote product introductory presentations and maintained a mutually beneficial relationship with customers. Exceeded sales quotas consistently. SELL-IT STRATEGY... Sales Engineer Transformed under performing Chicago sales territory into a revenue powerhouse, achieving 250% sales growth in first year and remaining in top 5% of all company Sales Engineers every year thereafter. Maximized territory potential through aggressive and persistent performance of sales and prospecting functions. Developed strong customer relationships built on problem identification and solution selling. Created new product-information presentations that were so effective, they became company standards and were used to train all new sales employees. Below are two additional descriptions. Note the difference between merely "telling" the reader what was done versus "selling" the reader on how what was done added value to the organization. TELL-IT STRATEGY... IT Systems Engineer Set up PCs for newly hired sales and service staff. SELL-IT STRATEGY... IT Systems Engineer Installed more than 100 PCs and implemented customized applications to support nationwide network of sales and service staff for one of the world's largest insurance companies. Provided ongoing troubleshooting and technical support that reduced PC downtime by 38% over a 6-month period. To use the "sell-it" strategy, dig deep into your experience to find numbers and results that prove your abilities. Downplay the details of WHAT you did and instead communicate WHY you were hired, WHY you were successful, HOW MUCH you benefited the company, and a hint of HOW you achieved results. USE NUMBERS TO ADD CREDIBILITY Which of these statements sounds more credible? * Significantly reduced handling costs. * Slashed handling costs $450K annually and prolonged warehouse life by establishing a direct order/ship program with major supplier. When you add details - specific numbers, percentages, increases, and reductions - your readers can assign even more value to your achievements because they have a precise picture of the benefits you attained. Never falsify or exaggerate your achievements, but do look at various areas of your background to find the true success stories and context that will be powerful in your resume and interviews. For instance, if your sales growth was only 2%, sharing this bald number may not be effective. But if the industry as a whole was down 10%, or if one of your key accounts shut its doors and you had to replace 40% of your prior year's sales with new business, your 2% will look much more impressive. To be certain you can confidently back up every number in your resume, prepare for interviews by practicing brief stories that tell what you did, why you did it, and how results were measured. In your resume, cover letters, interviews, follow-up letters - in fact, at every stage and in every manner of communicating during your job search - concentrate on "selling" what you did, based on its relevance to business performance. By "selling" your contributions, you invoke interest in your background and a desire to learn more... in an interview. And isn't that exactly what you want to have happen? ====================================== Five Steps To A Successful Negotiation ====================================== Everything is negotiable, or so the saying goes. But is it true? Is everything negotiable? Throughout your career, many aspects of your job, including the scope of your responsibilities, title, pay, work schedule, and benefits are negotiable. When done well, a solid negotiation can result in a win-win situation for both you and your employer. Whether you're seeking a new job with a higher salary, vying for a promotion, or hoping for a higher salary in your current job, honing your negotiation skills is an essential component to achieving your goals. Here are some steps to get you started: Step 1: Reflect Look in the mirror and assess your strengths and weaknesses. Be honest with yourself. Two of the biggest mistakes people make when negotiating on their own behalf are ignoring their failures and weaknesses and underemphasizing their accomplishments and strengths. Make a list of each and commit it to memory. Your existing employer is already aware of items on both lists, so focus on your strengths and be prepared for the weaknesses. TIP: Individual strengths and weaknesses are valued differently job by job. If you're interviewing for a position, highlight your most relevant strengths for that job. If you're looking for a raise at your current job and you're concerned about a specific weakness, look for ways to address that weakness, such as training programs, books, or even asking your boss for advice before the negotiation begins. Step 2: Prepare Nothing can sour a negotiation more than being ill-prepared. If you're trying to negotiate for a higher salary, do your research to discover what an employee of your caliber is worth. Talk with recruiters, your peers and visit salary websites, such as www.salary.com. Also, make sure you have a good understanding of the company's policies and practices related to the salary or benefits for which you are negotiating. TIP: Gather and organize all necessary documentation and facts, such as transcripts, prior reviews, current salary, market data, and salary expectations so that you don't have to struggle with facts and figures during your negotiation. Step 3: Prioritize Many people overlook the fact that total compensation is made up of a number of components - not just base pay. You're more likely to get what you want if you know what you want most. For some it's base pay. For others (e.g., sales people), it's commission rates. Some value titles. Entrepreneurs will focus on stock or stock options. Still others, such as second wage earners, will find health benefits or flexible work schedules most valuable to them. TIP: Knowing what's important to you sounds simple, but it requires some thought. Make a list and prioritize. During the negotiation, you might find it prudent to give up something less important to gain something more important. Step 4: Present Your Case Set up a meeting with your manager, the hiring manager, or the HR department. Set the stage by conveying your enthusiasm for the position and company and discussing point-by-point what you bring to the organization. Highlight specific major achievements or special skills you've exhibited. Make clear to the employer exactly what you are asking for (salary, benefits, title change, increased job responsibilities, etc.) and why you feel you deserve them. TIP: Be careful to use only business-related reasons for why you deserve a raise or higher salary offer. Not being able to take that family vacation is not a valid reason for more money. Also, be sure to connect your past achievements and future abilities to the manager's (and company's) goals. This will help put a value on what you can do. Step 5: Negotiate! This is where you and the employer discuss what you have presented. In today's sparse job market, there's a good chance you'll have to make a few sacrifices when it comes to negotiating a deal. So it's important to define ahead of time the minimum salary requirements and other benefits/perks you are willing to accept. You will need to gauge the employer's willingness or ability to negotiate. It's okay to be firm when stating your desires, but remember that the company has its own requirements as well, so a certain amount of compromise is necessary for both sides to achieve their goals. TIP: It's important to stay level-headed during this meeting. Your negotiation is just a conversation between two parties looking to achieve a common goal and a win-win situation. Companies want happy, productive employees and the negotiation process highlights the specifics of what is needed to get you there. Always: Follow Through An important part of the negotiation process is discussing your ability to deliver outstanding results. So make sure you DO what you commit to. Your best negotiating leverage next time around is to over-deliver on the promises you make to get the raise, promotion or job offer you're seeking. Remember, even in a down economy, the top performers will always be taken care of. ================= Office Happenings ================= I'm thrilled to be participating in the April 6 "Women For Hire" job fair as a Career and Resume Advisor. The job fair is being held at the Hyatt Regency Boston (formerly the Swisshotel), One Avenue due Lafayette, Boston. For those interested in learning more about the "Women For Hire" job fairs, their website is http://www.womenforhire.com/jobseekers/overview.asp. If you're thinking of attending, stop by and say hello! On April 26 I will be speaking at the North Shore Networking Group in Salem, MA. The topic will be "Interviewing With Confidence." This is a relatively new group that meets every other Monday from 2:00 - 4:00 pm and is sponsored by the North Shore Career Center. If you're interested in attending, let me know and I will provide directions. ================= Helpful Resources ================= I recently read one of the best books on Networking I've yet to come across. It's called "Making Your Contacts Count" by Anne Baber and Lynne Waymon. This is a real "how-to" book that's easy to read, practical, and truly takes the guesswork and fear out of networking. It provides the reader with easy-to-implement tips and techniques for getting started, like... how to provide the best response to "What do you do?" and how to begin (and continue!) a conversation with someone you meet for the first time. It also explores the true purpose of networking -- to create mutually-beneficial relationships -- and how to ensure you're approaching networking with that goal in mind. For anyone who feels overwhelmed by networking and fearful that they're somehow not doing it right, I highly recommend you check this book out. =============== Favorite Quotes =============== "He who knows others is learned. He who knows himself is wise." -- Lao Tse "Your future depends on many things, but mostly on you." -- Frank Tyger "Never, never, never give up." -- Winston Churchill "There is only one success -- to be able to spend your life in your own way." -- Christopher Morley HAPPY SPRING EVERYONE!! In support of you, Jeanne ** If you would like someone added to this newsletter distribu- tion list, please forward their name and e-mail address to me. They will be added promptly. ** If you would like to be removed from this list, please reply to this e-mail and I will remove your name promptly.