Job Search Magic: Insider Secrets from America's Career And Life Coach

by Whitcomb, Susan Britton

• ISBN13: 9781593571504
• ISBN10: 159357150X
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-01-01
• Publisher: Jist Works

Summary

Job Search Magic offers groundbreaking job search advice coupled with sample resumes and cover letters. With before-and-after interview responses, career-choice guidance, salary negotiation tips, and other helpful hints, job seekers are no longer overwhelmed by the task of finding a great job.

Table of Contents

Part 1: Career Foundations	1	(184)
Getting at the Heart of Job Search Success	3	(20)
What vs. How	3	(2)
10 Secrets to a Successful Search	5	(16)
Chapter Wrap-Up	21	(2)
Getting Your Job Search Plan Together	23	(28)
Five Phases of a Job Transition	24	(4)
Plan A---Create a Smart Goal	28	(15)
Plan B---Give Yourself Options	43	(1)
Job Search Resources and Budget	44	(1)
Your Support Team	45	(2)
Chapter Wrap-Up	47	(4)
First Things First: Focus on the Magic F.I.T.™	51	(50)
Why Job Seekers Jump at the Wrong Opportunities	52	(3)
Identify Your Magic F.I.T.™	55	(28)
Using Online Assessments to Discover Your Magic F.I.T.™	83	(10)
Coaching Questions to Decide on the Best Career Direction	93	(2)
Finalize Your Magic F.I.T.™	95	(1)
Create Your Focus Statement	96	(1)
Chapter Wrap-Up	97	(4)
Capture Your Value with ``Smart'' Success Stories	101	(20)
Conveying Value to Employers	102	(3)
Inventorying Your Success Stories	105	(2)
Questions to Elicit Success Stories	107	(1)
Using the Smart Format to Answer Behavioral Interview Questions	108	(6)
Writing Your Success Stories	114	(5)
Chapter Wrap-Up	119	(2)
Communicate Your Value Via a Career Brand	121	(28)
How Can a Career Brand Help?	121	(1)
The Elements of Your Brand	122	(1)
Verbal Branding---Creating Your Sound Bites	123	(14)
Visual Branding---Look and Act the Part!	137	(9)
Chapter Wrap-Up	146	(3)
Manage the ``Buoy Factor''---How Mindset Can Sink or Support You	149	(36)
The Buoy Factor	150	(1)
The ``I Can'' Mindset	150	(1)
Gauge Your Buoyancy	151	(5)
Inspire Daily	156	(8)
Control the Controllables	164	(10)
Act Now	174	(3)
Never Give Up!	177	(5)
Chapter Wrap-Up	182	(3)
Part 2: Resumes and Career Marketing Documents	185	(86)
The Blueprint for a Magic Resume	187	(24)
Two Tried-and-True Winning Formats: Chronological and Functional	187	(8)
Selecting Category Headings	195	(13)
Putting It All Together	208	(1)
Chapter Wrap-Up	209	(2)
How to Write Great Keyworded Copy	211	(20)
Keywords	211	(3)
The Objective or Focus Statement	214	(6)
The Qualifications Summary	220	(3)
Professional Experience	223	(3)
Skills	226	(1)
Education, Credentials, Licensure	227	(1)
Affiliations and Other Supporting Material	228	(1)
Chapter Wrap-Up	229	(2)
Accomplishments: The Linchpin of a Great Resume	231	(22)
Words to Woo Employers	232	(3)
Strategies for Presenting Accomplishments	235	(7)
Where to Find Material for Your Accomplishments	242	(3)
Impact-Mining: Probing Questions to Unearth Hidden Treasures	245	(1)
Sifting Through the Accomplishments You've Gathered	246	(1)
Use Impact Statements to Portray Yourself as the Right Fit	246	(1)
Finalizing Your Resume with Formatting, Editing, and Proofing	247	(3)
Chapter Wrap-Up	250	(3)
E-Resumes, Cover Letters, and Other Career Marketing Documents	253	(18)
Creating ASCII Plain-Text Resumes	253	(4)
Creating an Portfolio	257	(1)
Getting on the Blog Bandwagon	258	(3)
Cover Letters and Other Correspondence	261	(7)
Chapter Wrap-Up	268	(3)
Part 3: Job Search Strategies	271	(68)
Tap the Hidden Job Market with a Targeted Search	273	(46)
The Difference Between Openings and Opportunities	273	(3)
Determine Your Search Strategy---Targeted or Traditional	276	(2)
Seven Steps to a Targeted Search	278	(36)
Chapter Wrap-Up	314	(5)
Cover Your Bases with Traditional Search Strategies	319	(20)
Why People Continue to Use Traditional Search Strategies	319	(1)
The Seven Venues of a Traditional Search	320	(15)
Chapter Wrap-Up	335	(4)
Part 4: Interviews	339	(104)
Pass Online Prescreens and Telephone Interviews with Flying Colors	341	(16)
Navigate Online Prescreening Tools	342	(4)
Ace Formal Assessments	346	(1)
Make a Great First Impression in Telephone Interviews	347	(7)
Chapter Wrap-Up	354	(3)
The 4 Cs of Interviewing---Connect, Clarify, Collaborate, and Close	357	(34)
Phase 1: Connect with the Interviewer---How to Create the Right Chemistry	358	(8)
Phase 2: Clarify What Needs to Be Done	366	(4)
Phase 3: Collaborate on How to Do the Job	370	(2)
Phase 4: Close with Professionalism---How to Wrap Up and Win	372	(5)
Measure Your Performance in a Post-Interview Analysis	377	(2)
The 4 Cs in Second and Subsequent Interviews	379	(1)
Sample Follow-Up Letters and ``Leave-Behinds''	379	(6)
Chapter Wrap-Up	385	(6)
Score Points in Behavioral Interviews	391	(14)
How to Spot a Behavioral Interview Question	392	(1)
What Employers Look for in Behavioral Interviews	392	(3)
How Employers Use Competencies to Develop Interview Questions	395	(1)
Mining Job Descriptions for Competencies	396	(1)
Linking Competencies to Your Smart Stories™	397	(1)
Why Smart Stories™ Are Critical in Behavioral Interviews	398	(4)
Chapter Wrap-Up	402	(3)
Ace Frequently Asked Questions, Industry-Specific Questions, and Illegal or Awkward Questions	405	(38)
Frequently Asked Questions	406	(24)
Master Your Industry-Specific Questions (ISQs)	430	(1)
Field Illegal and Awkward Interview Questions	431	(9)
Chapter Wrap-Up	440	(3)
Part 5: Salary Negotiation and Job Success	443	(34)
Negotiate Your Salary: The Secrets to Knowing and Receiving What You're Worth	445	(24)
Preparing for the Salary Dance	446	(4)
How to Deflect Salary Questions Until the Offer	450	(2)
When an Offer Is Made	452	(4)
How to Initiate a Counter-Offer	456	(2)
Negotiating Additional Elements of Your Compensation Package	458	(1)
Get the Offer in Writing and Think It Over	459	(3)
Chapter Wrap-Up	462	(7)
10 Tips for a Great Start in Your New Position	469	(8)
Your Results	470	(3)
Your Relationships	473	(3)
Chapter Wrap-Up	476	(1)
Appendix A Magic Job Search Tips	477	(32)
Appendix B Worksheets to Catalog Professional History	509	(12)
Index	521