Agenda item for 10/27/13

Topic: Seriously zeroing in on a target. (week 2)

Last week I issued a challenge. Those that came to the friday meeting were asked to find one person on linked in in the seattle area (or wherever they were looking for work) that has the job they want AND CAN DO. The person that they most resemble in terms of skills and ability to do the job.

The idea behind this challenge/exercise is to help people learn what their marketable skills look like and learn how to package them up and sell them in a crowded marketplace. The grocery store analogy of having a product and trying to get slotted on the shelf beside the existing product is what we’re playing with.

This isn’t as easy a challenge as it may sound.

It’s easy to find people that you can do PART of their job. That you have PART of their skill set. The challenge here is finding people that you can do ALL of what they do. This is your “career doppelgänger.” This is to be someone you have never met but is located in the market, industry, company, division, role, etc. you want to be in and YOU CAN DO THIER JOB. (The exciting part of this exercise is when we figure out how you can do what they do either better or differently. And in doing so create the argument as to why you should be added to the staff working beside your doppelgänger. And I shouldn’t have to say it but I will, those same arguments are useful for approaching that companies competitors.)

Todays topic is a discussion of why the person you picked is the person you picked. Who else you looked at and why they weren’t as good a pick. What makes that person your doppelgänger?

For those doppelgängers that survive the discussion we’ll move on to step 2: Research and contact. For those doppelgängers that don’t it's back to linkedin and more searching for you. (We can do some of that immediately after the meeting 12-12:30 if you’d like.)


WHAT YOU NEED TO DO TO GET THE MOST OUT OF THE MEETING:
Be awake. (But since we meet at a coffee shop you'll be fine.) A computer would be handy.


(Used doppelgänger 5 times in one post. Is that some kind of record?)

Agenda item for 10/18/13

Topic: Seriously zeroing in on a target.

We've talked about this before so many of you already know the concepts. The challenge is never really knowing what to do it's in being motivated to do it and staying motivated enough to follow through. Crisis is always pretty motivating. When you don't have any other choice but to act people usually act. It's always a little disappointing when we look back and say to ourselves "what took us so long?"

This week, first we'll kick around the concept of targeting for anyone that doesn't already know the reason for and the power of having a clear target. Then I'm going to issue a challenge. And we're going to work on it together. (You'll be able to meet it. The real question is will you follow through and do the work?) Hint: the challenge will involve acting on your targeting.

OK, It will be first to identify the target organization, then the target role you want, then to find out who hires that target role. And then… Well, that's where the fun begins.

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO TO GET THE MOST OUT OF THE MEETING:
Be awake. (But since we meet at a coffee shop you'll be fine.) A computer would be handy.

Agenda for: 10/4/2013

Quite a lot went into creating this presentation and frankly I'm nervous it's not going to be any good. But I'm sharing it anyway in the hopes it will be useful to the people who most need it. (And to get feedback so I can improve it.)

What is it? The Value Proposition Bootcamp (this version anyway) is a very short primer on what a value proposition really is and what's involved in creating them. Plus a couple exercises to get people started developing their own.

Why am I doing it? Because I feel it will give those who are struggling in their job transition something to re-energize their search. Once you understand the power of a strong value proposition you'll be able to do things like:

• ORGANIZE & OPTIMIZE YOUR CAREER PATH
• CREATE A PERSONAL LEARNING PLAN
• BECOME SEEN AS AN EXPERT
• CREATE A BETTER TARGETING LIST
• CREATE A MORE PERSUASIVE LINKEDIN PAGE
• CREATE A MORE PERSUASIVE RESUME
• WRITE MORE PERSUASIVE COVER LETTERS
• HAVE MORE PRODUCTIVE INFORMATIONALS
• GET BETTER JOB REFERRALS
• GET BETTER JOB OFFERS
• GET STRONGER RECOMMENDATIONS
• GET YOUR EMAILS OPENED

Why else am I doing this? Because I just have to, frankly. Value-centric Branding is what I know and for better or worse I'm driven to try and help as many people as I can discover, define, design, and deliver the greatest possible value they can. For their sake as well as for all the rest of us. Incrementally I'm trying to make the world a better place. Corny I know.

(yes this is a free meeting)