Career E-News: January 2012 

Monthly Newsletter for Executives, Managers, and Professionals in Career Transition / Written and Published by Joellyn Wittenstein Schwerdlin, The Career Success Coach

In this issue:
New Service: Job Loss Recovery Program
How to Follow-up After The Interview: A Four-Step Strategy
Is It Time to Partner with a Career Coach?
Quote of the Month: On "Luck"
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Greetings!                              Joellyn Headshot 2009 
 

Happy New Year! Hope you and your families had a wonderful holiday season. My husband and I had a great time in Chicago and enjoyed a safe road trip, with excellent weather both ways. Luckily, we avoided snowstorms across Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York and Connecticut on our return trip by staying in Chicago a few extra days.  Our visit was perfectly timed, so we could meet the newest member of our family:  our grandson --Maverick Joseph Spayer -- born on New Year's Day.   

 

I'm delighted that the New Year has brought good news about job creation. A recent Reuters article reported that 325,000 private sector jobs were added in December and unemployment claims fell by 15,000. Of course, there is the argument that many of these jobs could have been seasonal. Either way, let's hope that this momentum keeps up in the coming months! 

 

Last month, I introduced a new program I am now certified to offer: "The Job Loss Recovery Program Program." This ground breaking program -- endorsed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services -- uses a unique series of guided visualization techniques to help unemployed, dislocated workers land jobs quickly. In a published, peer-reviewed study five times more people landed jobs within two months of listening to six guided visualizations compared to a placebo control group.  Scroll down for more information and pricing options. 

 

How many job interviews have you had where you were left hanging about whether or not you got the job? My new article: "How to Follow up After the Interview: A Four-Step Strategy" offers some solid guidelines to follow up in a professional manner (without being a pest), take back control, and learn when to let go and move onto more promising opportunities.

 

Want to get a jump-start on your career transition plan for 2012?  A Career Action Planning (CAP) Session may be just what you need to get a fresh perspective on your situation as well as new strategies to help you move forward. 

Wishing you Career Success, always...  
 
:) Joellyn
JLRP New Service: Job Loss Recovery Program  

 JLRP Logo Coach

The Job Loss Recovery Program -- endorsed by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services -- uses a unique series of guided visualization techniques to help unemployed, dislocated workers land jobs quickly. In a published, peer-reviewed study, five times more people landed jobs within two months of listening to these guided visualizations compared to a placebo control group.

 

Many people who have lost their jobs often have unresolved, negative emotional baggage (even anger) about their experience. These unwanted emotions can unconsciously and unfavorably come across at interviews, undermine self-confidence, contribute to poor interview performance and lead to ongoing failure to land a job.

 

In the Job Loss Recovery Program, you'll listen to two 25-minute guided visualization recordings -- Track 1 and Track 2 --(each of which you'll listen to three times on three separate days) that will help you:

 

 - Reach closure about unresolved emotional job loss issues

 - Reduce stress and resolve job loss distress

 - Avoid taking unwanted emotions into a job search 

 - Build self-confidence

 - Tap into your inner wisdom

 - Improve interview performance, and

 - Land the job of your choice!

 

The cost: $297.00 which includes three 45-minute coaching sessions (to guide you through the process and debrief your experiences) along with program materials and both of the guided visualization recordings.

 

Self-Study Option:  Alternatively, you can purchase the materials at a nominal cost and work through the program at your own pace and timeframe. Click here to purchase them now! 

 

 Read more about this program on my website..

 
INTVHow to Follow-up After The Interview: A Four-Step Strategy    

 

Employment interviews can be exhausting and time-consuming experiences. Researching the company ahead of time and answering tough questions during the interview is challenging enough. However, waiting to hear back about your candidacy status can be sheer agony!

 

The solution: Use this four-step strategy to follow up in a professional manner without being a pest and feel in control at the same time. And if the career opportunity appears to be a "no-go," this will close the loop and help you move on.

 

1) Get permission to follow up. Don't leave the interview without it!When your interview ends, ask the decision-maker when you can expect to hear from him/her regarding the status of your candidacy. If he/she responds with: "I'll call you to let you know our decision," you can say, "You'll call me? Great! When can I expect your call? Next Monday? Okay! If I don't hear from you by Monday, would it be alright if I follow up with you by phone on Tuesday?" Usually, the interviewer will say "yes" -- especially if you are a strong candidate.

 

2) Reiterate in writing. Send a thank you letter to each person you interviewed with. While email is faster, a hard copy will create a more lasting impression amidst email clutter. Your letter should: a) express appreciation for the interviewer's time; b) restate your interest in the position; c) recap highlights of the interview; and d) summarize your qualifications. In your letter to the decision-maker, say that you look forward to speaking with him/her on the agreed-upon date regarding the next step in the interview process.

 

3) Pick up the phone. If the decision-maker hasn't called, follow through with your planned phone call. The best time to reach decision-makers directly, without being routed to voicemail, is before or after regular work hours. If you get voicemail, leave this message: " Hi <hiring manager>. This is <your name>, a candidate for the <blank> position. I was expecting a call from you yesterday, regarding my status. I haven't heard from you, so I'm following up as we agreed. Once again, this is <your name> and my number is <blank>. I look forward to hearing from you soon, thanks!" Do this once a week, but stop after four times.  

 

4) Close the loop and move on. If you've faithfully completed steps 1-3 above and you've gotten no response, most likely another candidate has been selected or the hiring process might temporarily be on hold. For your own well-being, it's worthwhile to follow up one more time to close the loop and move on. Use this script, which is adaptable to voicemail or email:

 

"Hello <name of decision-maker>, I've followed up with you on <agreed upon date>; then four times after that and still haven't heard from you. I'm assuming your hiring process is taking longer than expected, which is totally understandable. However, I want you to know that I'm continuing my search and may not be available in the future. So, I'd appreciate if you could let me know where I stand by <date chosen by you>, so we can both move forward. Thanks again for your time and consideration up to this point."

 

Taking this final step will help get you off of dead center by:

 

a) Conveying to the hiring manager that you won't wait forever; if they want to hire you, they'd better act quickly;

b) Allowing you to put closure on the situation, so you won't waste any more energy on it;

c) Clearing your mental clutter to allow other opportunities to come your way.

 

Following up in a professional manner is good for your reputation, self-confidence and peace of mind. With these scripts in hand, you can manage any jitters and keep yourself moving towards the dream job that awaits you.

 

Like this article? Please post your comments on my blog.

 

� 2012 Joellyn Wittenstein Schwerdlin, The Career Success Coach. All Rights Reserved

 
CAPIs It Time to Partner with a Career Coach?
  • HourglassDo you work hard on your job search but seem to get nowhere fast?
  • Are you burned out with your job, but don't know what other career(s) might satisfy you?  
  • Do you have trouble understanding how your transferable skills can be used in other professions?
  • Do you apply for jobs online, only to get "thanks but no thanks" responses?
  • Does it seem like your network can't help you with your job search the way you'd like?
  • Do you have difficulty "sealing the deal" at interviews?  

Is it time to take a risk -- a giant step forward -- to end the pain once and for all? You may surprised: the problem might not be what you think and simpler to overcome than you thought possible.

 

Regardless of the issues you face or what you may be frustrated or confused about, I can provide the clarity, creative thinking, objectivity, and perspective you need to get your career and job search moving in the right direction.  

 

Let's get started with a Career Action Planning (CAP) Session to help you figure out what's working, what needs attention, and what the next steps are to efficiently navigate your transition and land the job of your dreams!  

 

 Go to my website to learn more: 

About "The Career Success Coach" 

 

Joellyn Wittenstein Schwerdlin is a Certified Career Management Coach who runs a private career coaching practice serving executives, managers and professionals in career transition. Since 1991, Joellyn has helped countless clients across multiple industry sectors find perfect career paths which are fun, fulfilling and financially-rewarding. She uses a proven, 8-module career coaching program to help her clients efficiently navigate their career transition to land the job of their dreams. Her program starts with a Career Action Planning (CAP) Session to first determine where clients are getting stuck, stalled or confused in the process of making their desired job and career transition. 

 

Joellyn will be happy to discuss your situation on a free call. Contact her at 508-459-2854, [email protected] 

or visit www.career-success-coach.com

Quote of the Month: On "Luck" 

 

"The harder I work, the luckier I get."  -- Samuel Goldwyn  

� 2012 The Career Success Coach

 All rights reserved.