Elemental Job Search

Event: Craig Fisher on Social Media

2011-01-10T16:40:00.001-06:00

Craig Fisher is from DFW and is VP of Business Development for People Report, an HR Intel SW Company, and host of the TalentNet Live #TNL recruiter forum. As a 15-year recruiting industry veteran, Craig is a social recruiting & new media branding strategist for job seekers and employers.

No sales pitch. Craig spoke to us last spring and blew us away with great information about personal branding. You won’t want to miss this!

WHAT: Social Media Brown Bag Lunch
WHEN: Friday, 1/14; 11-1pm
WHERE: Asbury UMC, 6767 S. Mingo
PARK: on the NE side of the church; come in the doors marked “Family Room”
COST: Free
QUESTIONS: Contact Russ Knight @ (918) 640-6148

5 reminders about interviews

2010-12-22T14:35:00.002-06:00

5 REMINDERS ABOUT INTERVIEWS

When does the interview start?

How do you prepare?

What should you bring?

How do I leave it?

How should I follow up?

In looking up the definition of "Interview" I found it means: discuss formally with someone for the purpose of an evaluation.

When you're called to come in for an interview, I believe it is a TWO WAY evaluation. They have questions and so should you!

So when does the interview start? The evaluation begins before you walk in the door, even before you get the call for the interview. They're checking you out. They are studying your resume. They are looking at your online profiles. They are Googling you. While your preparation begins even before you submit an application, the interview, with the traditional understanding of them evaluating you starts as you pull in the parking lot and walk in their office. How you treat the receptionist matters. How you dress matters. What you bring with you matters. Everything factors in. There's an old addage about first impressions...I forget how it goes.

How do you prepare? What if they ask you as the first question, "What did you do to prepare for this interview?" If you tell them you looked at their website, could you tell them three things about it you liked, or three things you didn't like? That is a pretty common question because it shows how detail oriented you are. It shows how interested you are in the position. Beyond that, you can talk to people who work at the company - call up the sales department, tell them you are coming in for an interview and ask them for a few minutes to describe the product or service, features and benefits, challenges and competitive landscape. Sales people talk too much. Use that to your benefit.

Google them. Go check out their website. Go to competitor's websites. Look them up at Hoovers.com, Manta.com, Jigsaw.com, LinkedIn.com, check Google for news articles, check them out on Twitter and facebook too. See if they have a Wikipedia entry. The internet ruins any excuse you might have had for not knowing about their industry, their business and the competitive landscape.

Create a list of questions to ask during the interview. Some questions I suggest you have ready include:

* What obstacles will I need to overcome to be successful in this role?

* Could I schedule a time to speak to someone who is in a similar role?

* What are the key vendors that I will interact with?

* I found lots of information about competitors in this industry (list a few), but who are the ones we most often run into? (notice I said "we" painting a picture of me on this team. It might be presumptuous to lead with that but if you feel good about the conversation, consider it.)

* If they ask you to clarify an answer or go into more detail, feel free to ask them to clarify or add detail to something they answered.

Here are a two questions that you could ask to end the interview immediately. They might be polite, but if you ask these, the interview is over and you're toast:

1. So, what do you guys do here?

2. Tell me about your industry?

There are lots of websites dedicated to helping you come up with the questions you want to ask. Feel free to either print out your list or write them in the margins of your notepad. Some questions will get answered through the course of the interview without you asking. Cross it off your list and don't ask it if they already gave you the answer.

Right before you go in, have someone cued up to speak on the phone to remind you of how awesome you are. If you go in hat-in-hand begging for A JOB, any job! you aren't putting your best foot forward. Nothing stinks like a desperate salesman (and you are in sales selling YOU!)

Bring:

* At least a notepad, preferably a padfolio or something that you can keep everything in.

* A printed list of your references so you can be prepared. Even if they ask for it, you should only give those out if you are serious about going to work for that company. Feel free to say no if you have decided the company isn't a good fit.

* Two pens (at least) in case one quits or explodes on you.

* Several copies of your resume, in case you meet with more than one person.

How do you leave it?

Always thank them for their time and the opportunity to speak about the job. Ask them about how you should follow up. They will tell you they will get back to you and might even say they will get back to you by next Monday at the latest. If they say that or something even more vague, you should ask them if it would be OK to call if you don't hear from them by X - pick the day, I suggest three days after when they said they'd get back to you. This way you maintain some control and have gotten their permission for you to follow up.

How should you follow up?

Always send a hand written thank you note. If every job seeker sent thank you notes the way they SAY they send them, the USPS would be profitable. (rimshot!) You will differentiate yourself by sending a thank you note. Some say it's OK to send a typed out letter if your handwriting looks doctorish. Mention something that came up during the interview. Remind them of the kind of results you deliver . Make it specific to the job you want. Remind them that you are interested in this position.

I hope this is helpful. Live the Boy Scout motto and "Be Prepared"!

BHAD: Big Hairy Audacious Dare!

2010-11-30T12:27:00.002-06:00

This message is written to those who participate in the job search ministries at FUMC in Tulsa, OK.

You have probably heard the term BHAG (Big, Hairy, Audacious Goal) which is an almost too-big-to-believe goal. So I have a BHAD for you - a big, hairy, audacious dare.

THE DARE: Document your job search activities for the next month and share with the entire group via a weekly email what you have been doing, who you have been talking to, who you want to talk to, posts you've seen, articles you've read, jobs you have applied for, jobs you considered and didn't apply for, who you have met, how you followed up, the lessons you learned, the changes you make to your resume: everything.

Why?

The same reason we want you to tell us your story and take advantage of the launch pad. If I know (and by "I" I mean all 400+ people on our distribution list) know what you are doing for your job search and you show you are really hitting it hard, that makes it much more likely that I (and by "I" I mean all 400+ people on our distribution list) will know what you are doing, be more engaged with your personal search and may take the time to reach out and help you with contacts, your message, etc. You will be creating agents TO HELP YOU! You might also just encourage others who are stuck, feeling down, or otherwise not doing all they can to find a job.

So, will you take the dare? (Or are you yella?)

Post a comment if you'll take me up on this!

What's your Excuse?

2010-11-12T12:40:00.005-06:00

WHAT’S YOUR EXCUSE FOR NOT PURSUING YOUR JOB SEARCH FULLY RIGHT NOW?

The economy?
The holidays?
Multi-level marketing?
Temporary work?
Counting on something you're working on to come through?
Other little lies?

Historically, hiring slows down from mid-November until February. People get busy, budgets are tight, etc. This year looks to be different according to lots of people. Even if that were not the case, the holidays are a time when people connect – they go to Christmas parties, they go to office parties, etc. People gather during the holidays. You should take that as a reminder to wash your hands often and to get your resume out in lots of hands. You need to be networking NOW to get in front of people who will go to parties, talk about work with others and be able to say “I know someone who can help you solve that problem.” I don’t want to sound petulant, but I’m stomping my foot when I say you need to ramp up your networking activities now, now, NOW!

What else are you doing to delay your job search? Let me tell you a story about what I did. My first layoff was in October of 2007, just on the front edge of the economy, employment was still good then. I made lots of mistakes, but got hired from a posting I found online. It took me six months. Then, four months later I was let go again due to product limitations. So 10 months in, I’m again on the hunt and my confidence is shot. I took an opportunity to dive into a startup in September, 2008 which will forever be remembered for the financial collapse. After 8 months of broken promises of equity, low sales and virtually no income, I walked away. That startup effort was my excuse.

This week, the excuses I’ve heard for not job searching are multi-level marketing, the holidays and focus on temporary employment (a degreed professional working at a holiday skating rink.) If you want to pursue MLM, do it on the side, but don’t pretend you can beat the odds and make a career out of it. Get your feet on the ground first.

For that matter, please don’t take a commission only sales job that requires your full attention to distract you from getting something reliable. This is the voice of experience talking.

Could you hit a homerun with commission-only sales or MLM? Perhaps. The great majority of people do not and it ends up being another speed bump in their road to gainful employment.

No one I know spends 8 hours a day on their job search, even if they have the time to do it. My admonition for you today: Press hard now.

Even if you think "that company" will certainly call any day, you have to keep pressing. Meet new people, explore new possibilities, plan for the possibility that one great thing you're hoping for may not come through.

My sincere desire – and that of our volunteer team – is that you will find not just a job but THE job that God has for you.

Psalm 40:5 "Many, O Lord my God, are the wonders you have done. The things you planned for us no one can recount to you; were I to speak of them they would be too numerous to count."

I sincerely hope you are encouraged in your job search. I know of one man who came to OJT in October and was hired two days later (for a grand total of 8 days out of work!) Congratulations Steve H.

Also, several people who have been on the hunt for quite a while have been hired. Take Rod C. for example. Rod’s background is in supply chain (purchasing/procurement) and I take it as a good sign when guys like him and HR people start get back into the workforce. SO BE ENCOURAGED!! If you aren’t, know that I am optimistic FOR you based on what I am seeing.

Many of you have moved on, gotten hired or have already gotten what you need from OJT. That’s great! Please help us spread the word if you value this offering. I hope to see you at OJT this Tuesday night at 6:30pm at Asbury. Come in the NE side of the church (opposite Mingo). We meet in “The Family Room”.

Does your resume contain Perissology?

2010-11-10T15:32:00.003-06:00

Perissology Noun – “Use of more words than are necessary; redundancy or superfluity of expression”

I saw this in one of those goofy posts people make on facebook but saw this word and immediately thought of resumes. It could also be applied to every other blog post I've ever made. ever. Ever.

So, keep it simple, Steve or Sue.

The end.

Board of Directors for your Job Search

2010-10-15T14:29:00.001-05:00

Imagine: You are the CEO and you have an active, helpful, thoughtful board of directors without any other agenda other than helping YOU succeed in running the company.

Have a challenge with a certain department and need advice?
Take it to the board.
Could you benefit from some additional accountability in your sales efforts?
Ask the board to help you.
Need someone to pump you up before a big meeting?
Talk to the board.

For a company, a board of directors is in place to provide oversight for the senior management and to represent the best interests of the stockholders. Typical duties include:
· Establishing policies and objectives
· Review of the chief executive’s performance
· Ensuring the availability of adequate financial resources (this is true too on a non-profit board)
· Approving the budget
· Accounting to the various stakeholders for overall organizational performance

Now that you are on your job search working for YOU, Inc. why not recruit a board of directors to support and advise you?

Specifically, this board of directors can serve you in:
· Accountability – are you networking well, making calls (how many?), and putting in a full day’s work? Some job candidates may need this more than others.
· Networking Contacts – These should be people who will take a meeting with you every so often for you to practice and to get more contacts.
· Cheerleaders – Being on a job hunt is tough. Sometimes you don’t feel like you have much to offer a prospective employer. Before an interview, calling someone on your board and saying “OK, tell me how great I am” may be exactly what you need to be sure the first interview turns into a second which leads to a job offer. If you go in feeling down about your search you might approach the interview with hat-in-hand feeling like you NEED a job, which is a tougher position to be in. Remember: you have value for the right employer! Find people who will remind you of that when you need it!
· Review for resume changes – Serve as your primary sounding board to help you refine your message.
· Evaluation – Sometimes you get so focused on the tactical elements of job searching or doing the job of job hunting, that you can’t step back and look at your search from a strategic perspective. That kind of evaluation can help you identify problems and needed changes in:
o Focus – what kind of jobs are you pursuing? Are you a good fit for the jobs you are pursuing or is there a problem with the market for the jobs you are pursuing (too many candidates, not enough opportunities?)
o Clearly stating your value proposition – Don’t tell a job seeker you want “a job”; you have to tell them what kind of problem you can solve for them.
o Networking – are you out meeting new people? How can you improve there?
o Resume – maybe there is something on there that is limiting your ability to get a first interview.
o Computer skills – are you using LinkedIn and other online tools well? How can you improve?
o Interview skills – If you are getting a lot of first interviews, it means you are doing some other things well, but if it doesn’t yield second interview and eventually job offers, perhaps there is a problem? Your board can help you determine what that is.

How I would build a board of directors.
1. Evaluate my network to determine who are possible role players for my board of directors. Some of the things I would look for would be:
a. Ease of communication; if they’re on an oil platform somewhere, or very busy at work or home, you might consider someone else.
b. Variety of experience with you; Include some good friends, but try to incorporate a mentor or two or someone you admire, and people you have worked with first hand.
c. Pros; someone who has some relevant professional experience (HR person, Staffing person, Senior hiring manager, etc.)
2. Develop a plan on how you are going to “train” your board of directors. Maybe use this post to help draft a job description for your board. Just like you are going through, you need to clearly communicate what the job entails before someone can agree to serve you in that capacity. Write it out.
3. Ask them for 20 minutes in their office. If you haven’t yet done this, go have a networking meeting with them. A networking meeting is an opportunity for you to meet with someone to get input and advice about your job search. If the initial meeting goes well and you have identified them as a potential board member, ask them about serving.
4. Set clear parameters for checking in with them. Try to keep the responsibility for communication as your responsibility, but set guidelines about when you want them to contact you. If you aren’t doing what you know you are supposed to be doing, they will call. Depending on how many people serve on your board, you could have regular phone contact and less frequent in-person contact.
a. Check in with two different board members each week, so a board of four people would hear from you every other week, plus maybe a monthly meeting.
b. If you are needing increased accountability, get five board members that you check in at the end of each day with a different one, so you call Tammy on Mondays and Jim on Tuesdays, etc. to report on what you have been doing.
c. Obviously, the more frequent contact, the higher commitment required by the person you are asking to help you.
d. Maybe you are really working hard and making lots of personal connections. GREAT! You may need less accountability and more strategic support to evaluate your search. Build your board to help you where you need it.

You may have various people serving you in this capacity already; at the very least be deliberate about who is supporting you in your search. Surround yourself with good people who will support you. Train people who are willing to help you. Bless you in your search!

2010-06-18T09:01:00.003-05:00

OPINIONS

Everyone has them. When you’re on a job hunt, you may likely be in position to receive them with great frequency. Input and advice from one person may tell you to do just the opposite thing that the last person told you to do. How do you deal with the press of conflicting input?

When President Clinton was in office, one of the knocks on him was that he was overly concerned with public opinion. My memory was that he had teams of people taking polls before he would commit to a position.

In your job search, you may be getting more input than you can handle. What do you do with so much advice intended to be helpful?

My simple answer is do what you think is right.

YOU are the one who is looking for the job.

YOU are the one who will be in the interview.

YOU are the product that is being “sold” here.

In my search, I found it helpful to get lots of input. My suggestion to you is to take all that input and evaluate it based on who is giving it but more importantly what fits with who you are. If you aren’t comfortable with a suggested rephrasing of something on your resume, don’t use it. You have to be at ease with your message.

One recruiter last week told me that everyone should have their LinkedIn profile on their resume to give an interested reader a source for more information and to communicate you are up to speed on the latest technology and trends of job search. Another told me that you only put it on there if you are concerned that someone might make a value judgment about your age. Still another says not to put your LinkedIn profile on a resume because they will find you there whether it’s on your resume or not. So what do you do?

Do what you think is right.

The decision to do nothing is a decision too, and that's probably not a good choice.

Pursing a job search WELL means putting yourself in positions where you’ll be uncomfortable because you have to reach out beyond people you know. You must be making calls and for most people, that is uncomfortable. However, the input and advice you receive has to be run through your own filters to ensure the message you are communicating to prospective employers and others is right for you.

Elevator Pitch: An essential tool

2010-06-16T15:13:00.004-05:00

Everyone knows that a job seeker must have a well-written resume to be seriously considered for employment. Did you know there are a few other tools you need to have at hand with the same degree of preparedness to greatly improve your chances of finding THE right job?

I believe you need:
1. A concise statement you can use to describe what you do. My wife asked me this very question over the weekend: “When someone asks me, what should I tell them that you do, exactly?” My wife is a pharmacist for a large chain store. I answered, “Tell them I sell debt collection services.” When someone asks what you do or what kind of job you are looking for, what do you say? Of course, if you’re an accountant, an engineer, or an admin assistant, most people understand those jobs. The challenges come in when you have been an analyst of some flavor, or something like that which doesn’t lend itself to a simple explanation. This is what you’d tell someone you meet at a party or in an elevator when you only have a few seconds to pique their interest in learning more about you (More on this later.)

2. A Two minute drill to walk someone through your career in brief. Based on what I’ve learned from people smarter than me, I wrote out my two-minute drill with a step by step plan on how you can write about yours here. A Two minute drill isn’t what you’d tell someone in an elevator, really.

3. A written explanation of what you offer a prospective employer. This should be about 25 words (a little longer than a 140 character tweet.) At the First Methodist Employment Transition Group we use this to tell people we know about the candidates who are in the group.

YOUR CONCISE STATEMENT
This statement should go hand in hand with a well-written resume. My definition of a well-written resume includes:
· Specific accomplishments that you were responsible for at work
· Quantifiable results whenever possible
· More than just a list of job responsibilities – every should be able to understand what you were supposed to do. The question is how well did you do it and can you do that and other things well for another employer?

So let’s assume you have a well written resume in hand so now it’s just a matter of pulling a few of those things out to be able to speak them clearly.

Think of this like an article in a newspaper with several of the same elements:
· Headline: Tell them what you do.
· High level overview: Explain what you do and what specifically you bring to the table that is different from someone else they might consider.
· One or two specific examples or facts to back up your claim that you’re good at what you do.
· Call to action:
o Is this something you or someone you know might have an interest in discussing further?
o I am trying to connect with more people beyond those that I already know. Could I call your office to schedule 20 minutes with you to get your input and advice?

I hope this is helpful. OJT meets at Asbury at 6:30pm on the third Tuesday of the month.

We offer breakout sessions on:
Developing a strategic plan
Resumes
Networking: both contacts for you and some help with the “how to”
Using the internet well: One hour on LinkedIn and another on everything else
Interview practice
Spouse support group

Please share this information with others. If you have recently been hired – or been hired and forgot to let me know – please drop me a note. I’d love to know what made the difference for you!

A Reminder from Wyle E. Coyote About Job Search

2010-06-09T21:14:00.002-05:00

I originally wrote this message on 4/15/10 as a reminder to my friends in Tulsa about an event we have at Asbury UMC called OJT (Overcoming Job Transition). This is a hands on workshop for job seekers. If you'd like information about this or would like to start something similar at your church, please let me know.

Good morning!

I hope you are making progress in your job search, meeting new people, expanding relationships and feeling encouraged by positive interviews, returned calls and new contacts. That’s my sincere hope.

This morning as my kids were eating breakfast, we had cartoons on. This episode featured the characters abusing each other on high places and tricking each other into running off the edge. For those of you not familiar with the laws of gravity & physics in cartoon world, a body continues to move forward on their intended path until they realize they have run out of ground to run upon. The cartoon character then has time to lament the impending fall as we can physically see the realization of doom grow, sometimes aided with a sign.

For those of you who are feeling defeated, questioning what you are doing, and starting to wonder where God is in your job search, this might be an apt description of your search. You’re going hard in the direction you thought you should, but you start to look around and realize there is no ground under your feet! Maybe the direction you were running wasn’t the right way. Maybe you need help laying out a new course. Maybe you’ve been trying to do this on your own.

I can’t promise you that you will soon be hired. I can’t even promise you that you will find the specific help and encouragement that you need at OJT. Confidently, however, I can tell you that is what OJT is built for and several people in the past few months at OJT have found new encouragement, direction and guidance they needed that helped them land a job.

We meet this Tuesday from 6:30pm until 9:00pm at Asbury United Methodist Church 6767 S. Mingo. From Mingo go to the opposite side of the church, park and go in the main entrance that doesn’t have a portico or awning. There is a statue and a “Celebrate Recovery” sign there. Bring a few copies of your resume, something to write with and on I believe you will find something of use in your search.

Our volunteer team is praying that each of you find not just A job, but THE job God has for you. From my job search experiences, and other experiences in life, I have come to the firm belief that God cares about what is happening in our lives and wants good things for me and you.

Please come check out OJT again. Maybe we can get you back on solid ground!

1 Peter 5:7, 10-11 says: Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you; And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. to Him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.

TWELVE (or so) WEBSITES THAT WILL HELP YOUR JOB SEARCH:

1. ChooseTulsaJobs.com - This is a website of the Tulsa Chamber. There are jobs from many of Tulsa's largest employers here. It looks like this site is full of
REAL jobs vs the junk that sometimes comes from monster, career builder, etc.

2. NewGradLife.com - Even if you aren't a "new grad" there are some good videos here with helpful tips about interviewing, resumes, and lots of other resources.

3. WiseJobSeeker.com - This is a new website put together by Career Development Partners. Registration is free and there are tons of great resources here. Check it out!

4. Several Staffing Company Websites:
a. VintageServices.com - Kim A. has been a great blessing to our group and she'd be my FIRST phone call if I was starting up my job hunt tomorrow.
b. JKPCO.com - Jacobi Kelley has been another good supporter of our group and would be another that I would contact early in my search.
c. PartTimePros.net - Even if you aren't thinking about Part time, they may have a contract job you can do while you are looking or sometimes they have full time roles too. Apply online, I would.

5. AUMCJobBoard.com - Asbury UMC has a job board where members can post jobs. Nice resource & no junk!

6. LinkUp.com - Pulls direct from company sites - not pay-to-post job boards.
GO CHECK THIS OUT!

7. LinkedIn.com- I may have mentioned this once or twice. :) It's so much
more than just your lifelong connections!! If you have questions, ask me or come to OJT on Tuesday to learn more!

8. Hound.com – This is a new site that I found just this week. It looks like you register and it may be a free trial for a few months at first. This may be a good resource. I’ve read on LinkedIn where several people seem to like it.

9. Indeed.com – This should be listed higher, but is a great resource as it pulls from LOTS of job boards. Check out the tools too because you can setup alerts to be emailed to you.

10. http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/Tulsa_Employment_Ministries/message/116 - This is our little corner of the internet. We post all kinds of good things here and this is a place where you can post your resume, ask for advice, prayer, specific contacts, anything! Join us! It’s free, all you need is a Yahoo ID.

11. AvidCareerist.com – This is a new favorite of mine. This lady posts all kinds of articles and often seeks input from other experts via LinkedIn. She has posted some great ideas like making the coffee shop nearest your most promising local prospective employer your job search headquarters several mornings per week. Tons of good input about job search.

12. Dangerruss1970.blogspot.com – My blog. I’ve tried to capture many of my favorite ideas, things I’ve learned along the way and put them all here in one handy place!

These are the best tools I have found to suggest for the online portion of your job search, but most jobs come from networking – building relationships and connecting with people. I hope connecting with other humans is a key component in your search. If you don’t know how to do that, or aren’t doing that well today, we have a session about how to do that at OJT!

ALSO, DON’T FORGET:

FUMC Brown Bag Lunch – If you haven’t been yet, you really should come check this out! We meet on Thursdays from 11-1pm at First Methodist in downtown Tulsa. It was a great blessing to me in my search last year and continues to be a blessing to many others. If you’re working and can only get away for an hour – just come from noon – 1pm. FUMC is at 1119 S. Boulder, they have a parking lot on the west side of Boulder, go across the crosswalk, into the building, down the stairs to your right, and we are to your right.

Blessings to you on your job search!

Make the call! Networking your way to THE next job.

2010-05-14T15:03:00.003-05:00

Make The Call!

Happy rainy Friday! I hope your job search has been prettier than the weather this week.

If you’re feeling stuck in your search, it is likely because you haven’t yet gotten in front of the right people. It’s easier to identify this problem than to solve it, right? You might be new to town or feel like you don’t have many of the “right” contacts. I want to encourage you today to pick up the phone and start calling people you know, asking for time with them. Make the call!

No matter where you are in your search, connecting with people – a/k/a networking is a key part of most successful searches. Learning how to grow your network well now during this search should serve you well throughout your career. Hopefully going through this exercise will help spur some new activity and movement in your job search!

STEP ONE
Make a list of everyone you know who would take your call. It doesn’t matter how you know them or where they are located. You will likely start with a healthy list and then continue to add as you remember others you should call. My friends at Coldwell Banker call the various compartments of your life “Circles of influence”. See if this list helps jog your memory of people you should put on your list:
· Former co-workers from all previous jobs
· Former supervisors
· Former classmates
· People you go to church with
· Neighbors
· People with whom you served on boards, committees or other volunteer capacity
· Parents of your kids’ friends
· Kids’ friends (if they’re old enough)
· Professionals you use: Doctor, dentist, accountant, attorney, banker, investment person, etc.
· Others you come in contact with: Postman, pizza delivery guy, mechanic, dry cleaner, etc.
· The bottom line is: don’t discount anyone and assume that just because they are ________, they can’t be of good assistance.

STEP TWO
Make the call! Most of your productive time during the day should be dedicated to reaching out via phone to schedule in-person appointments. If you’re spending most of your time surfing online job boards, my feeling is you aren’t being as effective as you could be. You want to be connecting in person with people. So start with your list – the people you know.

Call and ask for 20 minutes (no more than 30 minutes) in their office. You are NOT asking these people for a job. You want to meet with them to get their input and advice about your job search. Now, if they suddenly realize you are the solution to the problem they have and want to turn your meeting into an interview, you won’t object. Chances are, if they had a job for you, you would already know about it.

You need to be in charge of this meeting, starting with the initial call. They may try to avoid meeting with you because they can’t hire you. Put them at ease by saying “I want to meet with you to get your input and advice about my job search, I am not expecting you to have a job for me.”

If they’re really busy at work your response should be “No problem! I’m not interested in wasting your time. I don’t need to do this immediately, but I value your counsel. Could you possibly give me 20 minutes in a few weeks?” Get the meeting scheduled. The less you know the person the more likely they will try to object to giving you the time. You might also say something like “Would you be willing to invest 20 minutes to give me some feedback about my search?” I really like the word invest, because you are giving them an opportunity to help you and to dispense advise and maybe even expertise. Everyone likes to give advice (see this email as exhibit A!)

STEP THREE
Meeting & managing the time. As I mentioned earlier, I encourage you to “run” the meeting. Chances are, whomever you are meeting with is expecting you to ask them for something more than what you said you wanted. Your endgame goal for this meeting is twofold: (1) Grow the relationship and (2) Two or more contacts or introductions.

Here is my proposed time budget for a networking meeting:
00-03: catch up, discussing mutual friends, ice-breaking.
03-04: State your purpose; “I appreciate you taking the time to meet with me. I’m looking for your input and advice about my search and maybe even some ideas of other people I could talk with. Maybe it would help if I gave you a quick rundown of my career and what I do for a prospective employer?” That sounds great!
04-06: Your well rehearsed, two minute drill.
07-08: Set them up to talk: “Can you think of anyone who might have a need for someone like me or have an interest in connecting with me?” Then shut up. Let them talk. Awkward silence is OK, but hopefully your two minute drill sparked ideas of people they know to send you to.
08-16: Here you have to do some guiding to keep them on track thinking about their contacts. Take good notes.
17-19: Ask if they would be willing to call those contacts and introduce you telling the person that you will be calling in the next few days.
19-20: Thank them for their time and ask if you can periodically update them on your job search? Even if they encourage you to stay, get out! Why? You want them to feel comfortable taking a follow up meeting with you later and also feel good sending you to their friends. If they know you will honor your word where you asked for 20 minutes and respect their time, they will likely be more free sending you to other people they know.

STEP FOUR
After the meeting. Out in the parking lot, finish your notes. Maybe you didn’t write down everything. Capture that before you leave that office. Critique yourself. What would you do differently next time? Did the meeting with them spark an idea of someone else to call that they didn’t mention? Write it down now.
Follow up. Everyone says they send thank you notes, far fewer actually do it. Write a hand written thank you note. If you’re handwriting looks like Sandskrit or you could have gone to medical school, it’s OK to type it out, but mail it. Anyone can email. Stand out – be different.

Keep good records. If you met with Russ Knight on May 14th, note how you met me, my contact information and anything useful I said, and anyone I suggested you speak with. You can track this via a spreadsheet but a notebook can work too because it will also serve as a physical encouragement when you don’t feel like you have much going on in your search. You will be able to thumb through the notebook looking back at the contacts you have deepened or developed new.

I hope this is of good use to you. Start now so people you can start asking people you see at church on Sunday if you could call to schedule a meeting with them. If you dedicate yourself to connecting with people you will grow relationships far beyond those you know now.

God has something for you in this. For me, my two layoffs within a year and subsequent time with the startup company were difficult, confidence shattering experiences. But God brought me to the right place and revealed His purpose for me to attempt to help others going through job loss. I believe God has a plan for you too.

I pray that those who might benefit from OJT will be there this Tuesday at Asbury UMC in Tulsa. Blessings to you in your search!

Don't Say "Objective"

2010-04-06T19:35:00.002-05:00

Objective says "this is what I want out of a job". If you have an Objective statement at the top of your resume, consider changing the word objective to "Professional Overview" or "Professional Summary" but at the same time will will likely need to scrap the statement too.

Most resumes I have seen are pretty self centered documents. It is a sales tool of course selling YOU, but the resume needs to be focused to the best of your ability on the prospective employer.

A good summary statement answers the question: "What kind of problem can I solve for a prospective employer" or "what unique skills and abilities differentiate me from other similar people a prospective employer might consider?"

My point is this issue is more than just nuance and phrasing. You want to speak to employers.

"Here is what I can do for you" trumps "here is what I want" every time.

Recently, I have heard several staffing people and others say, "No, an objective is good because I want to know what this person wants." Maybe this is true, but I'd rather err on the side of a prospective employer having a very clear picture about what I can do for their organization and how I fit and force the few who want to know "what does this person really want out of job?"

The real estate at the top of a resume is the best chance you have to hook someone into reading further. If you fail to speak to your audience, why would they want to keep reading?

Churches Join in Job Hunt

2010-04-05T08:29:00.003-05:00

Churches Join in Job Hunt
New ministries have arisen across Tulsa
By Bill Sherman, Tulsa World Religion Reporter
Originally Published 4/4/10 (Easter Sunday)

Wayne Buck was in the hot seat Thursday.

Sitting alone in a chair surrounded by 50 people at First United Methodist Church downtown, he fielded a battery of questions about his resume, his career goals, his networking skills.

"You need to get a different resume right away," one person said.

"Have you networked through your friends and neighbors?" another asked.

Buck, 61, has been out of work for 11 months.

He has many years of accounting and finance experience in the oil and gas industry. He took early retirement seven years ago from Williams Cos. after 28 years there and was laid off last year from SourceGas in Denver.

He is hopeful that he will soon be back to work.

"The economy seems like it's picking up," he said. "There's some hope out there. I've got a good five or 10 more years of work left in me."

Buck is one of hundreds of unemployed men and women who are getting advice, encouragement and job leads through a variety of jobs ministries at Tulsa churches.

The Employment Transition Ministry at First United Methodist Church started April 1, 2009, as more church members were losing their jobs in the recession.

Kathleen Lee, who has been volunteering with the ministry from the beginning, said 252 people have come through the program, and 25 percent to 27 percent of them have found jobs. More than 50 people attend the weekly meetings, nearly all of them job seekers.

During the first hour — dubbed the hot seat — individuals take about 15 minutes to explain their job situation and what they've done to find work. Seated in a horseshoe configuration around them, other participants offer advice on how to improve their resumes or networking skills, possible leads they should explore and job openings they have heard about.
Humiliation
During the second hour, speakers and group discussions address job issues.

On Thursday, life coach Dave Jewitt described the humiliation, after losing an executive job, of handing a job application to a man at a pizza place who had no front teeth.

"Something in me broke," said Jewitt, who now runs YourOneDegree ministry.

"And I was no good at delivering pizzas. At 50, I couldn't see the street signs at night."

"Don't waste that pain," he told job seekers. "I believe God wants to use that pain" to redirect lives.

Berry Miller, who directs the First Methodist program, knows firsthand the pain of being unemployed.

He left a good job to go into business for himself, and when that failed, he was out of work off and on for nine months.

"We had four kids. It was a high-stress time," he said.

"It was a really empty, lonely feeling. I learned that I needed to get out of my shell and get out of the house and talk to people."

Experts say people who lose jobs often go through a grieving process that includes denial and anger, he said.

"I've been on both sides of this. I felt compelled to help others."

The First Methodist program is a "wonderful example of hurting people helping hurting people," he said.
Roller coaster
Jim Choate and his wife, Diane, run the Church at Battle Creek's Job Assistance Ministry.

"We know what it feels like. We both lost jobs at the same time," Diane Choate said.

"Our heart is to help a lot more people than just the folks at Battle Creek. About half are from outside of the church," she said.

Jim Choate said every volunteer in the program has suffered a job loss at some time.

"It's an emotional roller coaster when you lose your income," he said.

"You go through a whole cycle of things — frustration, depression.

"We tell people that's normal, but the sooner you get through it the better. And it's best to work through it before you begin the interview process."

The program at Battle Creek meets twice a month.

Information is available on how to file for unemployment and food stamps, how to talk to creditors and how to start the job search. Jobs from local employers are posted.

Sessions are held on career assessment and strategic planning, resume writing, networking and interviewing.

Each job seeker is assigned to a volunteer "champion" who contacts them and offers encouragement.

"Fighting discouragement is an issue. It's about keeping your spirits up," Jim Choate said.

"The hardest part is having patience. These things just don't happen as fast as you want.

"The most important part of your job search is to invite God in to help you. He'll close doors on wrong opportunities and open other doors."
Biggest mistake
Asbury United Methodist Church began its Overcoming Job Transitions ministry six months ago in response to the recession.

"We thought people needed help," said Russ Knight, who directs the program.

"I've been through two layoffs," he said. "I've made a lot of mistakes in job hunting. I've become a student of this."

The biggest mistake people make, he said, is failing to utilize people they know.

"As a job seeker, you need to know how to guide your friends, show them how they can help you."
Social media
Kari Mirabal, a career consultant and information technology recruiter, heads the jobs program at First Christian Church, Owasso.

She conducted jobs seminars in January, February and March at the church, and she will resume after summer.

"People are going more to social media for career transition," she said.

"It's an amazing tool; 70 percent of all companies look at LinkedIn for candidates. It's free and easily accessible.

"What we do is we educate, teach how to leverage these tools. The tools have changed. The paper resume is a thing of the past. Things are evolving."

LinkedIn is a networking Web site used by more than 60 million professionals to exchange ideas and opportunities.

"It's who you know and what they can do for you," Mirabal said.
Job fair
Victory Christian Center has a full-time coordinator of its jobs ministry.

Jon Bornert said the ministry has helped 90 people find jobs since its job fair in January 2009.

He is expecting more than 30 employers at Victory's job fair next Friday.

Ministry workers also man a table at each church service to talk to people needing help.

"More and more churches are starting to awaken to the fact that a person's job is a big part of their lives," Bornert said.

"Being out of work can cause marital and family problems. If transportation goes by the wayside, it can be very difficult to continue," he said. Bankruptcy can result.

Guts Church held its first job fair Friday as part of its Servolution program, with employers' booths, interview rooms and classes on job-seeking skills.

Job ministries
Employment Transition Ministry

11 a.m.-1 p.m. each Thursday

First United Methodist Church

1115 S. Boulder Ave.

Job Assistance Ministry

6:30 p.m. second and third Sunday of each month

Church at Battle Creek

3025 North Aspen Ave., Broken Arrow

Overcoming Job Transitions

6:30-9 p.m. third Tuesday of each month

Asbury United Methodist Church

6767 S. Mingo Road

Job fair

12:30 to 3:30 p.m. Friday

Third floor, New Creation building

Victory Christian Church

7700 S. Lewis Ave.

Read more from this Tulsa World article at http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=11&articleid=20100404_18_A1_RyanFr476078&archive=yes

Good email habits

2010-03-09T13:00:00.002-06:00

As a job seeker, you need to constantly be aware of your target audience and seeking ways to make it easier for them to contact you. Let's face it, we all know there are about a million reasons for them NOT to contact you!

1. Always include your contact information in the body of an email, even with replies. Don't make anyone hesitate to contact you. It's a good habit and is one of those details that might make the difference to get you a callback.

2. Stay away from those goofy backgrounds. I got an email the other day from a man with some floral design background.

3. Be a replier. Even in personal circles, so many people do not respond to emails even when begged to do so. Respond...promptly.

4. When attaching a resume, stick with .doc formats. A recruiter might want to delete something in your resume before sending it to a client (to help both of you!) but they can't with a .pdf. Also, .docx isn't common enough yet. In case you get a .docx file (which is just from the MS Word 2007 version) and need to open it, you can download Open Office at www.openoffice.org for free.

5. Use a cover letter unless directed specifically not to do that. Pick out something from the job description and speak to how you specifically fit that.

6. Avoid telling someone you are a good communicator...BE a good communicator! I've seen poor sentences and strange statements on resumes where someone claims to be a good communicator. Better to not say it and let your words (you know.)

RESUMES: Four elements of a good summary statement

2009-12-22T12:00:00.006-06:00

RESUMES: FOUR ELEMENTS OF A GOOD SUMMARY STATEMENT
Overview vs. Objective and other ideas above the fold

NAKED BACON is probably a terrible thing to have at the top of your resume as an attention grabber, but maybe it works in blog posts. A well crafted description of who you are and what you specifically offer is like a banner headline of a newspaper.

In this post I’m going to touch on length of resume, objective vs summary statement, four elements of a good summary statement, accomplishment language and a few other odd resume ideas.

The problem with most resumes is they’re all about you. It is, by its very nature an extremely self-centered document. It is one reason most resumes don’t get attention in the form of an interview or even a rejection email. Your resume needs to be tnereffid and stand out. Look at your resume from the hiring manager’s perspective. Your audience isn’t concerned about “filling a position” as much as they are trying to solve a problem. They are evaluating you to see if you can fill their big, specific need so they are most often looking for two things: qualifications and fit.

LENGTH OF RESUME
You have two pages* at most to sell yourself and in most cases, far less than that. Most experts say you have between five and forty-five seconds to hook a reader. Therefore, err on the side of caution and hook them in five seconds by focusing on the top half of the top page as your lone opportunity to sell the rest of the resume.

* Two pages is probably right unless you are a super expert, a senior executive or have technical or other expertise that requires more space to explain. Experts refer to a resume that has three or more pages as a “brick”. A new college graduate should have a one-page resume.

OBJECTIVE vs. SUMMARY STATEMENT
From an earlier post entitled “Seven things to do upon losing your job”, I wrote a sample summary statement that – to me – is a masterpiece of futility which reads:
“Hard working, forward-thinking, professional, dedicated team player seeking employment with solid company where I can apply my skills and abilities to make a valuable contribution.”

If your summary statement of qualifications sounds anything like this, I’m going to personally punch you in the job you didn’t get. Those are great qualities, but they don’t differentiate you. They don’t speak to need. What job seeker wouldn’t say those things even if they are a lazy, short-sighted goon, who doesn’t work or play well with others willing to settle for a crappy job with a questionable company in hopes of flying under the radar? You are none of those things so be sure your banner headline makes someone say “I want to know more”.

For a new graduate or changing fields, an objective statement might be in order to state clearly what you are looking for. Some professional resume writers say you should never use an objective because that is focused on what you want as opposed to what you can do for a prospective employer. In most cases a summary statement may be more effective to keep your audience reading.

FOUR ELEMENTS OF A GOOD SUMMARY STATEMENT
1. [Job title] – All of the best summary statements I have seen start with the job title. It guides the reader and lets them know right up front how you can help them. Some resume experts suggest adding this title after your name at the very top of the resume. Both tactics serve the same purpose: guide the reader. Examples include: “Human Resources Generalist”, “Certified Project Manager”, “Sales manager”, etc.

2. [speak to outcomes] – Where possible, use numbers later on in the document to back this up but tell them what happens to departments or businesses where you are involved. You can’t promise success in a job you are seeking and don’t yet have, but you can use past success at other companies as an indicator of what a prospective employer can expect from you. If there is a common thread of success, that’s your banner headline. Won contract extensions, increased sales by X%, completed projects by an average of X% under budget, etc.

3. [touch on skill set] – What do you have that others don’t which make you a better asset? Using my skills as a polished presenter, creative problem solver, etc.

4. [speak to organizational fit] – Are you a strong team player who thrives on camaraderie and competition or an independent, task oriented self-starter? There is a place for both in an organization, so don’t pretend you will be content taking orders on the phone all day when you’d rather be out connecting with people (or vice versa). You should tell a prospective employer what type of environment allows you to deliver the greatest return.

Here are a few real examples of summary statements that I think are good, with each of the above elements noted.

“Human Resource generalist(1) skilled in the development and maintenance of a well-functioning HR department(2) as a value added, strategic partner(4) to the business.”

“Highly creative and recognized computer analyst(1) with a reputation(2) for complex logistical problem solving(3) and a passion(4) for quick response, lean process and high quality.”

“Energetic sales professional(1) with a proven history of closing and growing key accounts(2) that leads as a team contributor(4) and thrives presenting in person(3) .”

Some jobs are easier to quantify than others, so in some cases you may not be able to speak to outcomes as well as others. If you can include as many of these elements in your summary statement, it should encourage people to keep reading.

ACCOMPLISHMENT LANGUAGE
Experts that advocate this say it is not enough for you to take your existing resume and just add in accomplishment statements. They advocate starting over entirely. Accomplishments tell stories and help people remember you. If you’re going to go this route, start by making a list of all the contributions you have made in your previous jobs. To start it can be as simple as “big Atmos sale” or “HSBC upsell”. Your list should have at least 15 and could have many more. Once you have your list, expand each one to tell the situation, action and result/outcome.
Situation – when, company situation, etc.
Action – What did you specifically do?
Result – what was the positive outcome for the company?
If you are seeking a sales or sales management position you might have a group of accomplishments under the “Sales Management Accomplishments” header and others under “Sales accomplishments”. By adding these right after your summary statement you are giving your audience strong information about you early in the document. You can also move up something important in your resume that would otherwise be lost on page two.

One big caveat to accomplishment language that I hear consistently is HR people hate resumes like this. Therefore, if you have an accomplishment resume, have a chronological one ready in case someone gives you a signal that they don’t like the format. If you are concerned about it, consider leading with the chronological resume and showing up for the interview with an accomplishment format.

FINAL THOUGHTS
· Consider placing your contact information at the bottom of the page, leaving more valuable real estate for something that sells you.

· Don’t cram your resume so full of text that there is no white space. Make your resume easy to read.

· Consider hiding keywords in a very small font high up in your resume. When companies scan in a resume and have a program that looks for keywords, this could be a good way to get noticed. I removed a graphic line under my name before my summary statement and added in a line of text at font size 2 with lots of industry keyword terms and words to describe me. It never amounted to anything that I know of but I can’t imagine it hurt. I could have made it even smaller text but I hoped a human reader might notice it and give me points for creativity.

· Have one or several people who don’t know you well review your resume and give you input. Anytime you ask for input – ask two or three specific questions like “what stood out to you the most?” “As a hiring manager, what would you conclude about what I can do for your company?” You can even guide them a little now that you may know more about resume than they do like “Because I’m trying to communicate that I can solve a problem instead of just fill a job, what line/part would you identify as a weaknesses that didn’t speak to a prospective hiring manager?” You can probably come up with better questions, but don’t just throw them your resume and say “tell me what you think”. Guide your audience, just like with your resume!

Thanks to Laura Smith Proulx for her answer to a question I posted on this topic on LinkedIn. There were lots of great answers but I graded Laura’s as the BEST.

The Perfect Job Description

2009-12-08T11:24:00.005-06:00

This question is for triple the points, top four answers on the board. Here is the question: What are the essential things; the critical tools you MUST have prepared if you’re on a job hunt? “Well, Russ, I’m going to have to say: Resume.” (good answer, good answer.)

Most would probably say Resume first, but I don’t think it would be the number one first thing. My answer there is a personal plan or a goal in mind. So there are two answers, what else does a candidate need to have ready?

Another answer I think would come up is an elevator speech or “two-minute drill” to give someone a verbal overview of who they are, where they’ve been and what specifically they offer to a prospective employer.

1. Personal plan / goal. You want to land a specific kind of job, not just any job. Before you write a resume, you have to have the goal in mind.
2. Resume. The brightest star in the cosmos of the job search. Of course you must have a resume.
3. Perfect Job description. Often overlooked, this can be a useful tool – both to have and to go through the process of developing. Drafting this really helped me in my search and has been a useful exercise for many friends too. I would rank it right behind the resume among the critical tools for a job search.
4. Elevator Speech, a/k/a “Two Minute Drill” – I wrote about that in a previous post. You must be able to communicate – even to those close to you – what kind of job you seek and would do well before they can begin to help you.

My belief is that most job seekers would have gotten 1, 2 & 4 but may have missed #3, which is why I wanted to write about it. The first tool would be a personal plan or to go through a personal assessment to clearly identify the things you are good at and that you like. If you don’t have this clear in your mind and on paper, it will make your resume much more difficult to draft. That’s why this element is first in the process ahead of resumes. Personal assessments are a critical component of a job search and something I’ll hammer on later. Let’s assume you already have a good sense for who you are and what you offer a prospective employer.

Unless you are in HR, you may not have ever written a job description. Drafting what you believe to be YOUR perfect job description will help you identify and communicate what you’re good at, what you enjoy, whether you like change, structure, independence, teamwork, etc. A polished document outlining your perfect job description is also something that you can share with friends or at networking meetings to help clearly communicate what you offer and what sets you apart from others.

Where do you start? Let me tell you my experience.

I’m a sales guy with strong experience in transaction-based electronic payments, projects and account management. I have a strong desire to serve, have a creative bent, have grown up using computers and had some experience using social media and helping others make sense of that. After a careful search, no such job with all those elements exists. However, if I am hired in a primary capacity in sales, I can add value with my other experience and communicate my strong desire to serve and be a team player. What I’m really communicating by listing additional responsibilities is how I’ll fit and my willingness to serve.

To start, I took my resume header and cut out everything below my name and address. My goal was for this document to look like my resume. One page should be enough especially since it’s hypothetical. Some exceptions I can think of where you’d make it longer would be if you had a very specific or technical job in mind where you needed to go into great detail about exactly what you would do.

Next, start searching on your favorite job boards for positions that you would like. No doubt you have seen several that you liked, at least in part. Here is your opportunity to start taking the best elements from those job descriptions and adding them to your perfect job description. Whether you do this initially or after you’ve drafted something is up to you and probably depends on your comfort level with this process and the role you envision. Using published/existing job descriptions to come up with the building blocks for your document will ensure you stay grounded in reality and use the right terms to describe what you can bring or add to your next job.

In my first pass I wrote eight different numbered responsibilities and added a % number for the amount of time in a given month I would spend on that area. After further review, I removed those %’s because this is hypothetical and I wanted to communicate what I could do for a prospective employer knowing full well that they would modify my role at least in part.

How do you know if an item should be included in your job description?

Make a list of all the job responsibilities you have:
1. Performed in the past
2. Enjoyed AND
3. Did well – if you aren’t sure about this, think back about any feedback you received from managers or others.

List the things that energize you; your drivers. Being on a job search is like the beginning of a new semester at school. You have a clean slate and an opportunity to clearly identify the things that make you tick and get you out of bed in the mornings.

Having a clear direction about what your next job looks like enables you to clearly communicate your value proposition to friends, contacts and prospective employers. Don’t be the one to get the [X] (buzzer sound!) Best of all, you can do this without having to kiss Richard Dawson, Mr. Peterman or whomever is hosting Family Feud these days.

Have you written a perfect job description? How did you use it? What did the process do for you? I would welcome your coments.

NAMING EMAIL ACCOUNTS, RESUMES & RELATED DOCUMENTS

2009-12-06T17:14:00.007-06:00

“There are four ways, and only four ways, in which we have contact with the world. We are evaluated and classified by these four contacts: what we do, how we look, what we say, and how we say it.” ~ Dale Carnegie

Names are important – just ask my kids. We have three young kids and anytime a new stuffed animal comes to the family we try to have a naming ceremony for the animal. We place all the other stuffed animals in a big circle in the playroom. The kids then choose a few animals that either don’t have names or “need” new names, in addition to the new one, and bring them to me. I then solicit name ideas from the kids and suggest lots of others. They love this ritual and our oldest, John, now 7 ½ , remembers way more of the names than I do.

You want to be remembered – but in a good way – so I suggest you take some time to think through the names you use as part of your personal branding strategy. Every communication you have with a prospective employer is an impression. The way you set up email addresses and other things that employers see gives them another opportunity to form an opinion about you.

EMAIL ADDRESS

On the front end of a job search is a good time to think about your email address. Think about how many email exchanges you might have with the eventual company that hires you. You want to communicate that you are a competent professional who will fit with that company’s culture. This is a good time to consider a change in your email address. You want to make it simple, clear and professional. I think it’s best to use a free service like gmail, yahoo or similar because you can KEEP that address even if you move. What if you get upset with your provider and want to switch or decide the cable is an expense you can cut? Your brand – your email address – is then dependent upon that company’s name. So at the front end of a job hunt is a good time to set up a new account that is free, professional and portable. You don’t even have to abandon your @cox.net or @sbcglobal.net address for your other communication. This can be a gradual change.

It’s pretty easy to set up a redirect from that web based address (your new, professional one) to your existing one that goes directly to your outlook or other email program.

Think for a moment about your previous work email addresses. How were they styled? They were based on just your name “at” your company, right? Some of the most common that I’ve seen are:

FLast@company.com (where “F” is the first initial of your first name and “Last” is your last name.

First.Last@company.com

First.M.Last@company.com (where “M” is your middle initial. When there is no middle name many companies just use “X”.)

You can also use the “_” underscore as a divider between first and last name.

Therefore, I suggest you set up something similar @gmail.com or @yahoo.com.

Sometimes, this can present challenges if you have a common name like Bob Smith or Mary Jones, chances are you are going to have a hard time finding any variation available on any of the big free services. I have a friend with a common name who is in Tulsa and plans to stay here, so he set up his address as first.last.tulsa@gmail.com . Another similar solution would be to do first.last.sales@gmail.com or first.last.accountant@yahoo.com to clearly identify your profession.

Here in Oklahoma many people are passionate about their football teams so they may want to have “Soonerfan” or “GoPokes” in their address. Maybe this works in your favor if you’re applying to a like-minded hiring manager, but what if you’re applying at a company full of the other team’s fans? Don’t forget, most hiring managers are looking for how well you’ll FIT with their company’s culture as well as your competency. Are you willing to risk broadcasting you’re an ardent fan of the team they root against? I might offer one caveat to this if you actually played for that college team. Most Americans respect and appreciate the discipline and sacrifice associated with playing a sport at a high level – even for the enemy. Still, the safe choice is to stick to just your name.

Another common mistake is adding your birth year to your name to come up with your email address. Right now, I don’t really care that I’m 39, but in 10 years, I might really cringe if 1970 is in my email address. Your age might be something you’re working to conceal, so broadcasting it in your email address gives employers another opportunity to pass judgment on you. If you need to add a number, avoid numbers that could be read as dates of birth or graduation.

I’m also opposed to trying to do something clever with your name for your email address. Take my blog as Exhibit A. I would never put dangerruss as part of an email address that would be on a resume and I should probably change this blog name too. However, the name danger-russ came from some high school kids when I was in full time ministry. They started calling me that because I was the opposite of danger and they thought that was funny- and I agree. Thank you Edison Eagles! I still suggest you stick to the basics as best you can. Do as I say, not as I do!

What about hobbies? I’m a woodworker and you might be a skydiver but if you mention either of those someone in HR is bound to look at that not as “interesting” but rather as “higher insurance risk”.

What about something innocuous like “coolguy” or “prettylady”? Chances are if you are those things, it will be better for people to find that out themselves instead of you telling them. Using these might communicate something beyond healthy self-confidence.

Lastly, avoid negatives like “badatmath”, “techchallenged”, “notasalesguy” or “spealingchampeeun” because even if they’re funny or tongue in cheek, these aren’t things that best identify you.

RESUMES & OTHER DOCUMENTS

Most often, you are going to attach or upload your resume, including the file name to lots of people. Based on what I have seen, people do better in this arena, but deliberate thought here certainly can’t hurt as you seek to project your brand out to the audience.

One issue that I see quite a bit is when people have several versions of their resume for various types of jobs, so they add some differentiating word to the document name. For Example:

Russ_Knight_Sales.doc

Russ_Knight_Banking.doc

Russ_Knight_Manager.doc

Really, none of those would be bad. I prefer to use my name and the date only, like Russ_Knight_1209.doc, you could also use a specific date, like Russ_Knight_120709.doc and know that is your “sales” resume and 120609 is your Banking, etc. Whatever system is comfortable for you, use that.

Be sure to avoid using negative words like “non-manager” or “temporary” or “draft” for anything you ever submit to a prospective employer. You want to be sure you are putting your best foot forward.

The reason I’m writing this is I regularly see mistakes from my friends who are on the job hunt and I want to be an encouragement. As you can see, I am certainly not a perfect or even a good example of this. Please feel free to add your own thoughts, ideas and experiences regarding email addresses or document names if you think it would be helpful to others. Blessings to you in your search! I hope this has been useful in your search and in your web presence going forward.

The Two Minute Drill: A Verbal Resume in 120 seconds

2009-11-29T17:03:00.003-06:00

With so many people out of work these days, competition for every opening is fierce. You need to seize every advantage and be as prepared as possible for every interaction that may lead you to your next opportunity.

When you’re on a job hunt, clear communication with lots of people is the best way to speed the process along. To do that well, you have to plan and practice. That is what the two minute drill is for. It is also called an “elevator speech” or “elevator pitch” which comes from the idea that you might get an audience in an elevator and you have a very short amount of time to pique someone’s interest to call you in for an interview or meeting.

The two minute drill is a concise summary answer to the question: “Tell me about yourself”. This is a well rehearsed, organized explanation of your life focusing on your professional experience and attributes.

Why is this important? Developing a good two minute drill will be useful in:
• Networking meetings
• Interviews
• Casual conversations with friends and others who say “how can I help?”, because before they can help they have to understand your professional value proposition.

How well you deliver this one answer can determine whether or not a contact passes you along to their contacts, a friend thinks of an idea for you or a first interview leads to a second. So many things in a job search are out of your control. Here is one thing you can control – take the opportunity!

Here is an outline of a standard two minute drill:
I. Pre-professional (growing up, school, college, etc.) 10-15 seconds
II. Early career (First few years, what did you do, etc.) 15-30 seconds
III. Recent work history & key accomplishments 45-60 seconds
IV. Reason for leaving, 5-10 seconds
V. What’s next / where I’m going, 10-15 seconds

Total: 2 minutes, 10 seconds if you max each of these, so don’t. Keep this to 2 minutes or less. Practice! If you can, video yourself. You’ll pick up things that may distract from your message. (I haven’t done that, but should – I’m a plague of tics!)

It’s not great, but this is an example of my two minute drill. I've bolded the things I consider key accomplishments / highlights.
________________________
RUSS KNIGHT'S TWO MINUTE DRILL:

PRE-PROFESSIONAL
My family moved to Oklahoma from Chicago when I was 10 and I was heavily involved in Boy Scouts, where I earned my Eagle and other awards. In college I served in student government and won a campus wide election to serve as the vice president.

EARLY CAREER
Out of college I worked for a bank as a credit analyst where I found creative ways to dispose of special assets and volunteered at my church and with Young Life ministering to high school students. I left the bank to pursue vocational ministry where I organized, recruited and led a volunteer team, took some seminary classes and decided I could serve better as a volunteer. From this experience I developed a belief that sales is a service. In 1999, the president of the bank recruited me to come back to work for him as they had started an electronic payment company and he needed some help.

RECENT WORK HISTORY
I served at ChoicePay for five years in several roles, promoted to sales and landed $1MM in sales before I left after a management change to work for Fort Knox National Co. out of Louisville. (1:05) At Fort Knox I developed a system of grading client relationships to reduce meeting time and improve management communication. My role was to shore up existing client relationships, primarily with HSBC in several locations and was especially proud of a turn around with Credit Acceptance in Detroit, where they were threatening to leave and with consistent attention and some minor system modifications, I was able to turn them into a strong reference and won a contract extension. I worked from my home and traveled to see clients extensively.

REASON FOR LEAVING
On the front end of the recession, I was let go along with 55% of the company. I was hired for a short time by Certegy and spent some time with a mobile web startup, before joining NorthStar in the summer of 2009 to sell our collections services. I have strong recommendations from many former employers and co-workers.

WHERE I’M GOING
My current focus is to sell primarily to banks and grow existing revenues. I volunteer with and have started a new employment ministry at my church. (2:00 on the number).
__________________
Some experts advocate for 12-14 accomplishments and mine is a bit lean in that department. Some additional polishing here would probably draw out a few more.

If you’re pursuing your search correctly, you are out connecting with people every day. This summary overview of you will help your audience connect with you and better understand where you come from, what you offer and where you are going.

Blessings to you in your search today. I hope this is of some use.

Networking & Networking Meetings

2009-11-26T08:37:00.004-06:00

You are not alone in your job search and there are people willing to connect with you – why? BECAUSE YOU HAVE VALUE!! You are worth investing in! For me, connecting a job seeker with someone else I know is a way to bless you both. Networking is a valuable investment in relationships – not just for your current job search. If you’re new to town, or feel like you don’t know many people, the only drawback is your starting list of people may be smaller, but include everyone you can think of.

In visiting with friends who are looking for work, I am often surprised to find so many who aren’t doing this in a deliberate way. In case you haven’t started this or maybe haven’t even heard of this process, I want to step you through the process of networking and a networking meeting. So let’s say you haven’t started this yet, maybe you’re feeling like you have no prospects or nothing working at the moment. This should change that – really. There are two goals with this process: (1) is to develop and grow professional relationships; and (2) to get at least two contact names or even warm introductions from the person you meet with.
1. Make a list of everyone who will take your call: Former co-workers, former classmates, neighbors, parents of your kids friends, people you volunteer with, people you go to church with, professionals you use – doctor, dentist, attorney, accountant, investment person, etc. – literally anyone you can think of who will take your call. Write down their name and phone number together.
2. Start calling. You are asking all these contacts for a face-to-face meeting for “ideas and input about your job search”. You want to schedule a time to come to their office to meet for 20 minutes. Here are a few possible answers and my suggested response for you. 20 calls a day is not too many. Customize this for you. Write out a script if you’re uncomfortable and practice this.
a. THEM: 20 minutes? Sure, I can do that. YOU: Great! What works in your schedule? I’m going to be near your office X day/time…
b. THEM: Well, I know we aren’t really hiring right now. YOU: That’s no problem – I’m not coming to ask you to hire me. I just want your input and advice about my search. I’m only asking for 20 minutes.
c. THEM: I’m really swamped right now. Why don’t you email me your resume and I’ll look it over and see if I can send it on to a few people. YOU: Additional contacts really are what I’m after, but I think it would be helpful for me to come by and meet with you face-to-face if you’re willing because I need to be out connecting with people and I’m trying to get better at this. I don’t need to meet with you right now, could we maybe schedule it for later in the month? You know how hard it is for us (accountants, chemists, analysts, etc. – fill in your position here.) to be in a sales role, and I’m out trying to promote myself. (You might think of a better response to this, but this answer is a real roadblock to what you’re trying to accomplish.)
d. THEM: I just can’t give you the time, I’m sorry. (or some other firm rejection). YOU: I understand. Sorry to bother you. (They may offer to have you send your resume, so go ahead and do that to be polite, but I wouldn’t expect much. Move along.)
3. If you’re full-time job searching, you could really fit 6 – 8 meetings in per day if you’re really pressing this hard. (I never did have that many or press this hard, but I think it would have helped speed my search along.) 4 is probably more reasonable. 2-3 is still a good day.
4. Once you get the meeting, here are a few things to remember:
a. The person your meeting with is worried you are going to ask them for a job they don’t have. Put them at ease; you can say something to set the tone like: I really appreciate you meeting with me. Please know I’m not here to ask you for a job, but rather advice about my search and contacts that you know that I should connect with.
b. If you can, lead the meeting by offering to start by telling them about your background and experience. (Here is where you go through your well-rehearsed “Two minute drill”)
c. You could also ask them to tell you about their background.
d. Ask them if they can think of anyone they know who you ought to connect with who might have some additional ideas about your search?
e. Take good notes. Not only is it a respectful gesture, you probably won’t remember what they say if you don’t write it down.
f. Remember: your goal is 2+ names and contact information of people you can talk to about your search. Even better would be if they agree to call the person (with you there or after the fact) to make a warm introduction.
g. Keep an eye on the clock. After 20 minutes you need to be backpedaling towards the door: I want to honor your time, I know you’re busy, thank you for meeting with me today. Even if they encourage you to stay and say it’s no problem, they have time, get out. Why? You may need a follow up meeting with them and they’ll remember if you took 20 minutes or 45 minutes, no matter how nice the conversation was. You also want them to pass you along to others. They will be more inclined to do that if you stick to 20 minutes.
h. Parting comment. Thank you for taking the time, this was helpful. Please keep my resume handy/warm in case you hear about anything that might be a fit for me. Would it be OK if I touched base with you in 3-4 weeks to just check in and update you on my search? Yes. Great. Thanks again for your time today.
5. After the meeting:
a. Send a hand-written thank you note. Everyone says they do this, but few actually do it. Be part of the few. Remember, you are building a relationship so this is an investment. Write this note that same afternoon and get it in the mail the next day.
b. Follow any direction your contact gives you about following up with the people they gave you. If there is no obstacle, call those new contacts (your level 2 contacts) soon – preferably same or next day. Nothing in your job search moves as fast as you want it to, right? so when you have the chance to move it more quickly, take that opportunity! If your contact says “this lady is in the middle of a big project at work, so wait a couple weeks to call her.” That’s an obstacle, but follow the direction.
c. Look over your notes, even if you’re still in their parking lot, and add anything as needed. This is a good record of your search and they may have said something that you missed in your notes. Write it down while it’s fresh.
d. Follow up on the phone with your contact to report on your progress. “You know those two people you gave me have led to 11 additional contacts and an interview with Acme, Inc. that I’m really interested in. Thank you for the contacts, that was very helpful. Can you think of anyone else I should talk with about my search? Thanks again. I’ll continue to update you about my progress. Would it be OK to check in again in 2-3 weeks?” You can change up the method of continued follow up – phone, email, a note, etc. – it’s your choice. Don’t rely too heavily on email though – it can be easily lost or disregarded.
6. Why is this so important? It is an exponential growth in your business relationships.
a. 50 contacts to start yield 100+ contacts at level 2, which yield 200+ at level 3, etc.
b. If you stick with this, by the time you’re out to level 5-6, you’re a networking rock-star! This is where you start to see job offers.
c. Don’t quit at level 2!! Keep going. You have to expand beyond your current circle of contacts!

OK, well as usual my message is longer than I intended. I hope this lengthy missive has been a worthwhile investment of your time today.

In case you haven’t connected to a group of other people who are looking for work, I strongly recommend that. It was a great encouragement to me. If you live outside of Tulsa, search for churches that offer ministries for people who are out of work or connect with some other type of support group. If you can’t find one, start one! In Tulsa, I’m a part of the Thursday brown bag lunch at First United Methodist (11th & Boulder, downtown), I would strongly encourage you to do that. They meet from 11-1pm and it’s a great time of encouragement and practical input about your search. If you’re free make it a regular part of your week.

At Asbury UMC, we offer OJT (Overcoming Job Transitions) – a monthly workshop designed to give you encouragement and practical input about your search. Our next event will be on Tuesday, 12/15 at 6:30pm. Please contact me with questions. Blessings to you in your search!

Reach out and connect!

Here is another blog talking about similar things that may be of use. http://blogs.bnet.co.uk/sterling-performance/2009/07/28/seven-secrets-of-networking

2009-10-31T20:36:00.005-05:00

Seven things to do upon losing your job:
EDIT as of 11/13/09 based on great feedback from people on LinkedIn.com.

EDIT1: Many people replied to this saying "you should already be doing many of these things" which is true, I hope this is a good reminder and a checklist of several important things to do.

1. FINISH WELL. Be sure to differentiate yourself on the way out the door. Your former co-workers might be future co-workers either at that same company when things get better or elsewhere because they remembered you were a capable, hard worker and will seek you out for a similar opening at their new company. Be sure to turn in ALL equipment, lists and anything else developed while on company time. I have compiled a summary list of pending sales leads, projects, etc. with pertinent contact information and status report on each in one document to be sure the things I was working on can be completed.
EDIT2: Several people said to be sure to check all your benefits before you get out the door. It's much more difficult to get questions answered and information after you're gone. It's good to capture recommendations and feedback from co-workers and former bosses before you are gone. Copy your personnel file - particularly performance reviews - so you have information, quotes, etc. for your resume.

2. CLARIFY YOUR MESSAGE. Even before you send out a note to friends, family and other contacts – you have to know what to tell them. “I’m looking for a job” or “anything except sales” are not enough for even a good friend to offer you practical leads and advice. Clearly state your value proposition in a concise summary statement. This should be a highly polished, wordsmithed explanation about what uniquely separates you from everyone else. Avoid useless jargon. Example of what not to do: “Hard working, forward-thinking, professional, dedicated team player seeking employment with solid company where I can apply my skills and abilities to make a valuable contribution.” 26 words of nothing; a masterpiece of futility. Don’t do that. You should focus on your expertise, your experience and what specifically differentiates you from everyone else. Here are a couple of good, real examples from some friends:
a. KM: Sales and Operations Manager exceptionally gifted in building customer relationships, servant leadership, communication and presentation skills, consultative selling, process improvement, and solving business problems with technology.
b. HF: Highly creative and recognized computer analyst with a reputation for complex logistical problem-solving and a passion for quick response, lean process and high quality.
I would also recommend writing out your perfect job description. You might even have several but if you can clearly write out EXACTLY what you want to do and what you offer, you will be able to clearly communicate that to others.

3. UPDATE YOUR RESUME. I don’t recommend paying someone to do this. I did in 2007 and it was a waste of money I shouldn’t have spent at that moment. You know your story better than anyone else, so you should tell it. Try to find people you know who are in hiring capacities or HR roles to give you honest feedback. There is a new(ish?) school of thought about resumes where you write a group of accomplishments that tell stories. Everyone likes a good story, right? The idea is to turn your bullet points into accomplishments by telling the Situation, your specific Action and the Result (SAR). If you’re going to develop an accomplishment resume, I would recommend you send your standard chronological resume as your initial submission because HR people generally hate the accomplishment resume. Always be prepared with a standard chronological resume and be very careful with the accomplishment one. No offense to HR people but they are looking for a way to disqualify you, so don’t give them a reason with your resume. So why even bother with an accomplishment resume? A story helps people connect with you, understand what you really have to offer and what sets you apart. People remember stories, not bullet points. Your accomplishment resume is full of your best stories. Hiring managers, generally speaking, aren’t very good at hiring and they’ll hire the candidate they connect with. If you walk into the meeting with the hiring manager and hand them your accomplishment resume, that might get the conversation started on a path more to your liking. Remember, the whole point of the resume is to get them to call you in for an interview. You should probably have a couple of other good stories in reserve that aren’t on your resume.

4. MAKE A PLAN FOR YOUR PERSONAL FINANCES that will carry you through this season of unemployment/underemployment. Make a realistic budget. Cut unnecessary expenses. If you can, don’t cut so deeply that you have absolutely no opportunity for entertainment or family fun. Dates with your spouse or fun events with the kids don’t have to be expensive to be fun. Hopefully you have built up an emergency fund a situation like this. There are tons of handy, helpful financial tips at www.daveramsey.com. Going through their plan really put me and my family in a good position in advance of my first layoff. Go ahead and file for unemployment because this is what it’s for. If you aren’t eligible or you aren’t otherwise going to do that, consider delivering pizzas in the evenings or picking up other work while you search.

5. START NETWORKING. You want to reach out to friends, former co-workers, former vendors from prior jobs, people at church, former classmates, doctors, dentists, attorneys, accountants, mailmen, parents of your kids friends – anyone you can think of who would take your call. Make a list. All these people are your level one contacts – people you know personally. Call them up and schedule a meeting to see them in their office. Even people you know may be reluctant to meet with you thinking you are going to ask them for a job that they don’t have to offer. Disarm that concern as needed by telling them that you want to ask them for input and advice about your search for the next opportunity. If they absolutely can’t give you 20 minutes in their office and the best you can get is to send them your resume, then do that. Try not to settle for that. If you can’t get 20 minutes in their office, they probably aren’t much of a friend. Once you get the meeting, keep an eye on the clock and honor the time. Even if they tell you that “you’re fine” you should stick to your message and plan to be out in less than 30 minutes. They will remember you were respectful of their time if you need to have a follow up meeting or they refer you on to someone else. The goal of this meeting is to learn more about their business, let them know exactly what you are looking for and get at least two names of people they know who you might be able to talk with about your search. Better than names would be if they offered to call and introduce you with a phone call before you call the contact. Ask them to do that if it is appropriate but walk away with the contact information in hand. No matter how good of a friend, your job search is more important to you than it is to them and they might forget or delay. I’ve heard from lots of different sources that this is the single most effective way to find a job and it has been true in my searches. If you can spend your day calling people to schedule meetings and going to meetings, you will be more effective than spending eight hours hunting through online postings. When trying to reach someone directly, you can sometimes catch senior executives early in the morning, during lunch and after five when the gatekeeper is away. Once you get two contacts each from your level one connections, with a 90% success rate your level two contacts should be at least twice as many as your level one contacts. You must be persistent in this networking effort. Job offers should come – even in a tight market – once you’re out at level five and six. Most people give up between level two and three. Don’t give up, stick with it. Remember you were going to call yourself a hard worker on your resume? Don’t say it, do it – right here. In addition to this, get connected with a church’s ministry to people who are in your situation. I got invited to be a part of one at a different church than my own here in Tulsa and was blessed, despite going with reservations. Never discount an opportunity to network, even with others who are unemployed because they’re out looking for work too and might run across something that doesn’t fit them but might be just right for you. Besides, having people praying for you, offering you constructive input and encouragement is no bad thing. If you’re inclined to start such a group or get involved in one in Tulsa, I would be glad to help you – add me to your network.

6. USE THE INTERNET. You probably won’t find your perfect job online but you can learn a lot: who is hiring, what kinds of positions, useful terms to help improve your resume, background information on companies or industries of interest to you and maybe even information about a prospective hiring manager. The single most useful tool for all these things is LinkedIn.com. Facebook and even Twitter have their places, but LinkedIn is your best friend for job hunting. If you want to find a contact at a specific company? LinkedIn! If you want to track your contacts even after their job moves? LinkedIn! Want to project your expertise or connect with a specific HR or hiring manager at a company of interest? LinkedIn! If you don’t already have one, set up a profile at LinkedIn.com and invite everyone you know to be a part of your network. Invite everyone in your level one network. This will be a tool to keep track of your contacts throughout your career; this is a worthwhile investment. Ask people to write recommendations. Don’t be afraid to suggest changes or not post a recommendation that is less than you’d like to communicate. You control your own message. Once you’ve built your network, now you can see your contact’s contacts – to the third degree! [This is not a sponsored post; I am speaking from my experience and regular use of this tool. Stepping off that soapbox now.] Register with every company that you think you might like to work for. Think about it: before they run an ad in the paper, companies will check their internal database. A company has probably tried word of mouth first, then their database, before advertising the position externally, which is one reason why responding to ads is often ineffective. It is generally expected that you would have a strong knowledge of any company and the specific division who calls you in for an interview so use company websites and other readily available public information about companies. If you have contacts in their industry, ask about the company, specific industry challenges, company reputation, profitability, etc. The best way to end an interview is to ask first off “so what does your company do?” Another good online tool is Indeed.com, which is a collection of job postings from multiple job boards – as good of a one-stop-shop for online postings as there is. What about pay sites like www.TheLadders.com or www.RiteSite.com ? I paid for RiteSite and really didn’t get much out of it, although John Lucht’s Rites Of Passage book was very good. If you a highly experienced, senior executive, these tools are probably more useful.

7. GO THE EXTRA MILE. If you’ve read this far and are still saying what else can I do to give myself that edge in the market, I have a final parting idea. Prepare a 180 day action plan to show a prospective employer for once you get the job. A recruiter suggested this to me as a tool to help convince a hiring manager with JP Morgan Chase that my prior sales experience and more recent account management experience could translate into current sales success. It turns out Big Dale was just using me to try to gain industry information and wasn’t seriously interested in me as a candidate. Still, I think it is a useful tool for a job that you really want when you have a hiring manager that needs a bit more convincing.

EDIT3: Several good, wise friends reminded me to mention probably the most important element here: Pray. The God who created the heavens and the earth and has proven to me beyond any doubt that He provides for me and loves me cares about my job situation too. Trust Him with big things as well as the small things.

This post/diatribe/manifesto is offered in the sincere hope to be a blessing to you in your search. With two layoffs since October, 2007 and a stint with a startup, I’ve learned quite a bit. Please contact me if I can be of good use in your search. You are not alone. This is an opportunity to improve your situation, trust in the Lord, Jehovah Jireh (God our Provider). To paraphrase my friend Ross Murphy “when we have nothing but faith to sustain us that is when we really begin to grow in our faith.” Blessings to you in your search!

My Path to Employment, Part One

2009-09-06T13:24:00.000-05:00

MY PATH TO EMPLOYMENT

In October of 2007, I was laid off along with 55% of my company (an electronic payments company headquartered in Louisville, KY). Following that, I spent six months on the hunt and landed with another reputable financial services company selling a bill payment product. That product wasn’t fully developed and ready to go to market, so after four months, I was again on the market with another good reference. After about 30 days of that search, In September of 2008, I ran across a startup that was in the market for an experienced sales pro. That was never really a job, but rather a full time effort to create a job. It didn’t work and I again restarted my search in April of 2009. I landed with a solid company in July.

The purpose of this post is to share some ideas that I believe may be helpful for others in their job search and how I did them (some better than others.) I want to talk about Networking, Resumes, the internet, the elevator pitch, your ideal job description and other tools.

1. Networking
a. The very first thing I did was send out an email to my friends asking them to be praying and to ask for ideas of people I should talk to. That’s probably the right thing, but I should have put more thought into that message ensuring I gave them very specific idea of what I do, the types of companies who might hire me and to ask them if they would be willing to brainstorm with me IN PERSON.
b. If you can’t clearly articulate what EXACTLY you are looking for, then the people around you won’t be able to help. You need a very clear summary of what you’re looking for (see “Elevator Pitch” later on.)
c. Make a list of people who will take your call: Friends, former co-workers, former bosses, people you go to church with, parents of your kids’ friends, people you serve on boards/committees with, friends of your parents and in-laws, former professors, neighbors, ministers, your mailman, professionals (attorneys, CPAs, doctors, etc. that you do business with.) or even the guy who picks up your trash (really). Unless you’re a hermit or new to town, you should be able to come up with at least fifty names, hopefully more. These are your level one contacts and you should seek a face to face meeting with them to brainstorm about your job search.
d. The networking meeting – this is not an interview! You may even tell someone when asking for the meeting “I’m not asking you to hire me; I just want to visit with you about my search and to get your thoughts.” The goal here is to connect, give them an update on your search and get their ideas of what you ought to consider (if you need that) and of a couple names of people to talk to. Press for this. Better yet, see if they would call the contact on your behalf to prepare the way for your call. You should probably ask for 20 minutes, but keep the meeting to 30 minutes out of respect for your contact’s time. Pay attention if an assistant calls or comes in after 20 or 30 minutes and take that as a cue to make your exit.
e. If you have 50 names in your level one network, and meet with 90% of them and get an average of 2 names per you should walk away with a list of 90 people in your level two network. The % goes down as you move into level three and four, but you must be persistent. Job offers should start coming once you’re out to level five and six – or something else is likely wrong.
f. The last thought about networking: Don’t discount anyone in your network. You may know your neighbor is a mechanic and think he couldn’t possibly know anyone who could help me. However, maybe he’s friendly with his clients or his wife is in HR at that company you really want to get into. You never know. Don’t discount ANYONE!

I will follow this post with a discussion on resumes and other topics related to job searches. If there is a way to network and connect with other job seekers in your area, I really recommend this. You might be asking “why would I want to connect with others out of work? They can’t hire me!” The reason is for encouragement and since they are out talking to the same or similar companies, searching the same websites, talking to the same recruiters, they may run across something of value to you that they can share. First United Methodist in Tulsa has a great group for job seekers that meet weekly and I’m in process of starting a monthly workshop at Asbury, also in Tulsa. Churches usually want to help hurting people so they likely have some sort of support for job seekers. Check with your church and if they don’t have something, consider starting something. Contact me for more information about something like that.

The economy may be tough right now, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t jobs to be had. Keep at it, pray, and network like it’s a full time job. Blessings to you in your search!

Pinewood Derby Notes for Dads

2009-05-18T22:09:00.001-05:00

I. THE PLAN
II. SPEED/WINNING
III. LOOKING COOL
IV. RACE DAY REMINDERS

THE PLAN
From the very beginning, you should talk with your son about HIS goals for the car. What is most important? Usually it’s “looking cool” or “speed/winning”. Both are worthy goals but are often mutually exclusive. I encourage you to clearly identify which he wants and focus on that. When he says “both”, try to pin him down to one or the other. Begin with the end in mind and you’ll both be happier. Check your Pack’s rules from the very beginning and be sure you are following them closely.

Based on those two possible goals, these notes are designed to guide you through the various steps of helping you and your son make that naked block of wood into something of which he will feel proud. If you’re on the “looking cool” track, feel free to incorporate as many of the tips from the “speed/winning” section. Please recognize and set expectations that even if you do ALL of the things listed, someone else will probably do it better. Talk with your son about a great standard of measure for this project that is also the Cub Scout Motto: “Do your best.” That’s all you can do.

Scout participation is something you likely will need to develop a strategy for. I never worked on the car without John being out in the garage with me. He designed the car all by himself and helped drill, paint, weight, and mount the wheels. We mutually had no interest in him operating any machinery. Someone could probably gripe at me since I made the cuts, etc. but we really did work hard to make this HIS car. I believe we honored the spirit and intent of the race and the rules.

SPEED/WINNING
1. If pure speed/winning is your primary objective, don’t start out with a hot wheel as your model. Understand that your “car” won’t look much like a car at all. Read this through; I suggest preparing for wheel mounting before you start cutting on the block.
2. Aerodynamics. Keep a low profile. There are some designs online that are called “modified rail” and other things that make the body sturdy enough to handle the impact at the end of the race into a block of foam (or whatever), but sleek enough to reduce drag. Aerodynamics’ influence in the Pinewood Derby likely affect speed in hundredths of seconds, but probably not tenths of seconds.
3. Design.
a. Essentially you’re going for something that is ½” - ¾”, maybe a bit more in diameter with wings that hold the wheels at the right distance apart. Maybe it tapers to be thicker in the back to accommodate a place for the weight. I’ve never helped build a car with this shape, so I can’t really speak from experience. John & I worked from a goal of wanting a certain look AND speed. What is described here appears to be the most effective design.
b. Short of a rail, you want flat or with a slight angle higher in the back, but not much. Use a band saw, table saw, Dremel or hand tools to create the desired shape.
4. Wheel Base. Expand the wheels out as far as you can on the length of the car. Most Packs have the rule that you can’t make the car LONGER than the block that you start with. We put the wheels next to the block and marked where we were going to drill for the axles. Ignore those slots cut in the bottom, just fill those in with wood filler after you cut out the shape.. I’ve read this elsewhere where people who are smarter than me have said this makes the car go faster. I believe them and take this at face value so as to not hurt my brain thinking about it. NOTE: We’re talking about making the distance between the front and back wheels as much as possible. The width is predetermined by the tracks.
5. Weight. Goes as far back as possible. The weight is then acting on the most mass of the car. Again, I read this online and it makes sense. We used a soldiering iron and lead for weight. First we cut a hole underneath the car with a forstner bit (or spade bit if you have that) to create a well for the lead. Then we melted lead into the hole with a scale nearby. This method allows you to control the weight and then drill out of the car is too heavy. There is an aerodynamic element here – John & I drilled out too large of a hole making the underneath of the car less aerodynamic – who knows what the actual impact of that was, but I suppose every bit helps. Next time, we would have put a piece of tape over the hole. I recommend that you show up on race day with your car just a little too heavy, so you can adjust your car to the official scale. You want your car as heavy as you can make it, right up to the 5.00 ounce limit.
6. Axles.
a. Mount them on a drill or drill press and using a file to carefully remove the little burr on the nail and on the underneath side of the nail head. Start with a file, then use 150, 220, 400 (and higher) sand paper then 0000 Steel wool and finally chrome polish with a rag. This is the most time consuming of the whole thing but you have to get the burrs off to reduce friction and then re-polish the axle.
b. Put graphite on the wheels before raceday. Sometimes stuff happens and you forget or you’re running late. The things you do to mount the wheels and prep the axles probably matter more than anything else.
7. Paint. Spray paint is best because it’s already shiny. If you use acrylic or brushed paint, consider a glossy spray overcoat.
8. Decals, etc. You can print off anything you want from the internet, but stickers really are better. You can get model stickers, etc. The Scout Service Center has some new & cool decals, but also Michaels, Hobby Lobby and the like sell stickers that seem specifically made for Pinewood Derby.
9. High gloss overspray. We tried this because John wanted a picture of Darth Maul on his car, which we printed off online and glued to the car. When we did it the first time, the gloss spray made the other spray paint run. Use caution and get this done with enough time in case you need to strip it and start over (like we did.)
10. Wheels. By rule, you can’t modify the wheels other than take the very small bump off that is a result of the manufacturing process. I’ve never messed with that too much (but work around it by wheel mounting). The logic here is they don’t want you cutting the wheel and changing the original wheel profile of: ┌────┐ to look like: ┌──┴──┐ where there is a slight extension or burr sticking out from the wheels all the way around; that way the car is riding on just that small edge, creating less friction.
11. Wheel mounting. Start thinking about this first thing out of the box. The goal is to mount the axles at an angle of 4-7 degrees, enough so that when the car runs, it’s running on the inside edge of the wheel, not the whole flat surface. Additionally, my theory is this keeps the wheel riding against the nailhead instead of against the car. One of the Dads in our pack expressed concern about this technique saying it wasn’t fair. The Pack’s logic is that policing this is too hard, so don’t speak to it in the rules. My belief is this technique might buy you tenths of seconds and is very much worth the effort. To actually do this, we just used some wedges leftover from some tapered cuts I’d made previously and used those to hold the block at the correct angle (no magic number here.) Standing in front of the drill press, you want the top of the car facing you and for the car to tip slightly away from you. Pre-drill holes first thing for the axles before you do any other cuts in the block. Consult your Pack’s Pinewood Derby rules before deciding what to do here.
12. Once it’s done, put it away. Find a box or some other conveyance that you’ll use to get it to the race. It would be a shame for something to happen to the car.

LOOKING COOL
This is great. Most Packs give awards for this and all should. Let your son dictate what he wants to do; you help him excel in the direction he wants to go.
You must use the original block, don’t forget. There were some boys who built fenders around the wheels of their cars and they did it with the wood from the original block – no easy challenge.

The world is your oyster – you can make it look like anything. Some of the designs I’ve seen live or online include:
Pencils Yoda surfing on a log Canoes & other boats
Skateboards Jet fighter plane fish
Toothpaste tubes Tanks & various military baseball bats

Really the sky (or the block of wood) is the limit.

RACEDAY REMINDERS:
1. Graphite the wheels before you leave the house, if possible.
2. Registration is a little strict with our Pack, so once you officially register your car, you can’t touch it for any reason. We offered a pit stop area where cars that didn’t pass or needed some help before registering could get it.
3. Volunteer to help – your Pack will have a thousand jobs that need to get done.
4. Pep talk. Remind your son about all the work you did together, how much fun you had making the car and that you did your very best – which is all you can do.
5. Have a great time!

Man of the Year

2006-12-23T07:20:00.000-06:00

I am on top of the world.

My people tell me women want me and men want to be me.

I am the son of of a white American mother and a black Kenyan father.

My father worked for the government of Kenya, but wrote often while I was growing up.

I went to all the best schools in Hawaii, while spending a little time helping the poor in Indonesia.

My father wasn't around so I was basically raised by my grandparents.

I am good looking.

My father worked for the government of Kenya, but wrote often while I was growing up.

I graduated from Columbia University in 1983.

My wife, Michelle and I were married that same year.

I have two children - Malia and Sasha - of whom I am very proud.

My career began as a social activist.

I was editor of the law review at my school, Harvard.

My middle name is Hussein.

I graduated and became a lawyer at age 31.

My favorite color is blue.

I am extremely attractive.

My book "Dreams from my Father: A story of Race and Inheritance" tells you slightly more about my background.

I won a Grammy in 2006 for "the spoken word" category.

My career lately has really taken off, but I haven't done anything that you know about.

I am a very public figure.

My career in elected office began in 1997 when I was elected to the Illinois State Senate.

I lost in a race for U.S. Congress in 2004.

My chief rival's name these days is Clinton; she won her Grammy in 1997.

I am adored by the media, maybe more so than my rival's husband.

My signature outfit is a suit with no tie - so I'm approachable.

I represent the people of Illinois, but have been spending time lately in NH, SC and IA.

My new book out this year is called "The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream".

I will probably win a Grammy for reading that in 2008.

My ambition seems to indicate that would not be the highlight of the year for me.

I am still virtually unknown.

My friends think I should run for President.

I think I already am.

My hope is that you will want to vote for me not for what I have done, but what I might do.

I feel having a track record can only get in the way.

My name means "blessed by God" in Arabic.

I want to be President.

Only two questions left to answer and maybe you'll let me by on the first and just answer the second: Who am I? Will you vote for me?

I am Barack Hussein Obama, Jr. and I'm running for President.

Not Organic

2006-12-20T22:06:00.000-06:00

I like peanut butter - a lot. If I could, I'd eat more of it. The problem is, that eating too much of this after your 9th birthday causes a disproportionate increase in the wet spot left after sitting on the side of the pool (if I'm not being too subtle.) I'm not a doctor, nor have I played one on TV, but I believe the technical term for it is glutius expansionus maxiumus.

Around our house, we're trying to eat healthier. Actually, we're trying to be deliberate about everything - making better choices across the board. The two main areas of focus (that I'm talking about) are our finances and our eating habits (and what we feed our kids). The finances thing has been a good exercise - we're living on a budget, trying to be thoughtful about every dollar and giving each dollar a name. This means that even money for incidentals - getting a drink at a convenience store, lunch with a friend, etc. is factored into the budget. It's difficult, but has been worthwhile.

In the past few months, we've been trying to do a better job making choices about what to feed our family. One of the things we've been experimenting with is baking our own bread. By "we" I mean "I" have been doing this. Yes, I bake. I also love power tools and make sawdust more than most guys, so on the masculinity Richter scale, I feel I'm still ensconced on the "manly man" end of the scale.

Why? It's better for the family and it tastes better. We haven't shaved our heads, drunk the kool-aid and joined the cult to the point that we're grinding our own flour (I think that's got to be a cult), but we might get there someday. Bread is one thing, but the thing we're really trying to remove from the pantry is partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. If you want to learn more about why this is evil from someone more "scientific" than me, check this out: http://www.recoverymedicine.com/hydrogenated_oils.htm

Here is my summary of what the science nerds are saying: partially hydrogenated vegetable oil is the sole commercial result of the combined work ever expended by the evil geniuses in the known universe. It takes something that should be liquid at room temperature and makes it a solid. Also, it makes something that should spoil last for years and years on your shelf. These two things come at a high price, causing all kinds of health problems - including increasing the likelihood of coronary heart disease - to the point that many European countries are considering setting a date for it's removal from food production. Those Euros! They're on the cutting edge of thinking about doing something dramatic!

One of my many, many, many, many oddities is that I was born with an overdeveloped sense of cheapness. As best as I can tell, this isn't a result of any cultural or ethnic background because as far as I can tell, I'm a WASP mutt. However, my cheapness was acquired honestly and like all things, at a price, but probably discounted.

This was most evident in my Granddaddy who used to stop, U-turn or slow down in the middle of busy streets or 6-lane interstates to pickup discarded shirts, hats, balls, flashlights, and who knows what all else. When we were visiting it was always exciting when he would come in the house saying "look what I found on my way to Fort Worth!"

My Granddaddy often had business in Fort Worth (maybe just when the grandkids were visiting) but I suspect just as often he did not. He'd drive 60 or 70 miles round trip - easy - because he heard someone had gas for $0.03 cents cheaper. If anyone dared mention that with the gas you'd burn to get there, plus the added time, that he probably wasn't breaking even, but that didn't matter. It was cheaper - that was the point.

My Grandparents lived across a busy street from a golf course. My Grandaddy was not a golfer and to the best of my recollection had little understanding of anything other than the basics - a huge expanse of wasted real-estate where people dress goofy and attempt to knock a little ball in a hole. Due to their abundance, they were a favorite target to find on the street and later sell in garage sales in egg containers by the dozen. The easy pickin's were in the yard. The greater challenges came as I said from the street. We'd be on the way to the cafeteria and if there was a golf ball on the other side of their 6-lane divided street, my Grandaddy would spot it, thread across the other two lanes and make a U-turn half a mile down only to come back to swoop down and make the grab. Where the heck are we going, isn't the cafeteria that way? Just a quick stop, I saw a golf ball. Oh.

My new found desire for healthy eating sometimes goes against my genetic predisposition for cheapness. We were at THE Wal-Mart the other day for a grocery trip and needed some eggs. They had their biggest display reserved for the blue, imitation-cardboard containers that were $1.37 ea. In addition there were the same eggs in pink containers labeled XL for more than that. Notice the ingrained cheapness: I don't remember because it was irrelevantly more. Also, they had eggs rich in something called Omega-3, and some cage-free eggs that were $2.97 per dozen! I remember that price due to the outrage of $0.25 per egg! If the unjust incarceration of poultry saved me $1.73 per dozen eggs - then I say "lock 'em up!" We found some others that had that mysterious label "Organic" on them (whatever that means) that were $1.24. The organic ones were cheaper! O bliss! O rapture!! They were tasty too.

In our culture we place a lot of value on labels. Think of value that brands alone have, separate from the products to which they are attached: Nike, Coca-Cola, McDonalds, NFL, Honda, Yahoo!, Verizon, NBC, Google, etc. Beyond product specific brands there are labels that carry enormous weight either because of what they represent or by whom they are endorsed. Just think about how important - and by important I mean "valuable" the Atkins, Weight Watchers, or South Beach diet labels are for food marketers. If Tiger Woods endorses a golf ball, a car or a breakfast cereal - it sells.

Have you seen lately the lady from the Food Network that is suddenly on every conceivable package produced by Nabisco? Rachel Ray has usurped Kelly Ripa for doing more with her 24-hours than any other person in America. She's on all kinds off food packages, has her own talk show, I think she has a magazine, plus she's still on three or four different things on the Food Network. Apparently, she's a good brand, having come on very strong of late. However, I believe the label of all labels is just now emerging and will become more prevalent in the coming years. In marketing terms it'll make Tiger Woods look like that one guy...you know...that had his face on stuff...I forget his name. That label is "organic" and I believe it will become very powerful in the coming years.

We packed up the kids and headed to the other side of town a few weeks ago to the natural foods grocery store. They had a beautiful produce section (I find beauty in strange places) and had a big sign proclaiming over 170 Organic produce items. They had 25# bags of carrots for people who juice them, organic apples, and organic bagged salads. We wandered all over the store and found natural this and whole grain that. They had environmentally friendly trash bags and spear-hunted ground buffalo. Sure it was all fantastically expensive - but it's natural or organic. When I inquired if the prices were somehow mistakenly posted in Canadian dollars, the helpfulish clerk rolled his eyes and pegged me as an outsider.

Being an outsider in a whole foods store is like being a bull in a china shop. Even the other people who are shopping there look at you with derision with your empty basket and your three kids gnawing on dum-dums. They looked at us as if to say "dum-dum? dumb-dumb indeed." Apparently, shoppers at this store are better than us on at least two levels - one is that they eat healthy and protect the environment blah-blah, and secondly that they can afford to shop there. I look at their carts bulging with organic yogurt, $6.00 loaves of bread, wild-harvested deer milk, free range chicken breasts, and seven kinds of tofu and wonder who these people are? No doubt their grandfather came up with the name "Twinkie" for a cream filled mass-produced sugar-bomb like the kid in my fourth grade class, Jimmy Snyder. Some people have more money than sense I suppose. (no offense, Jimmy.)

We were blocking the narrow aisle with our empty cars when an older woman broke through our defenses. She was trying to get to a machine like they have in regular-people grocery stores now where you can grind your own coffee except this lady was grinding her own peanut butter. Grinding her own peanut butter!

This is probably a reasonable alternative to the partially hydrogenated vegetable oil that we are trying to get away from. However, the whole aura exuded by the patrons of the whole foods store was more than I'm willing to put up with. I've decided to direct my muted rage elsewhere and have chosen the Jif Peanut Butter marketing people who came up with the slogan "Choosy Moms choose Jif." I can't fault them for trying to sell their product with it's seven year shelf life, but you're talkin' 'bout my momma. Are they saying that since my Mom went for Peter Pan, Skippy or Acme brand peanut butter, that she's somehow making a lesser choice than choosing Jif? What about the nature nut at snooty foods? Is she somehow making a lesser choice? Did I want to run her over in the parking lot? Naturally. Of all the faults I found with her, I certainly couldn't fault her choosiness. But don't be talkin' 'bout my momma.

Seasons Greetings

2006-12-19T11:01:00.000-06:00

Seasons Greetings!

What the heck does that mean? What is this phrase intended to inspire so much so that we put it up in lights? Hey, buddy, Seasons Greetings! And by that I mean, whatever the season, not that I care enough to stick my head out the window and check, I greet you in the name of that season. What's with that?

I say, use this 12 months out of the year! It works! What part of this communicates the message of love and salvation that is embodied in Christmas?

It's 104º outside; I greet you in the name of the unholy heat of August! It's the middle of March and people are either gearing up for Saint Patrick's Day (either the beer-drinking kind or the "we're here, we're queer, let's hijack a parade!" kind) - and so I greet you in the name of that season.

If my Jewish friends said "Happy Hanukkah", I think that would be great! Hanukkah is a beautiful commemoration of the re dedication of the Holy Temple, recaptured by Judah the Maccabee in 164 BC. The Macabees were from the town of Modiin, a priestly family, that founded the Hasmonean dynasty that ruled from the re dedication of the Temple until Roman rule. According to the tradition, the oil used in the Temple re dedication ceremony was only supposed to last for one day, but instead lasted for eight days! The menorah that is part of the celebration of the festival of lights has nine candles. The center candle is the shamash and is used to light the other eight candles each night of the celebration. Hanukkah is a beautiful holiday celebrating the salvation of monotheism and as a Christian, something worthy of our respect.

Further, if a follower of Islam wished me "happy Ramadan" I would take that as a reminder of the devotion of millions of believers in that faith all over the world. Christians - and by "Christians" I mean "I" - could take a page from their faith and devotion. Ramadan is a month long season of fasting, whereby Muslims concentrate on their faith and spend less time on the concerns of their everyday lives. During Ramadan, no eating or drinking is allowed during daylight hours. During the entire month other things are forbidden too. At the end of each day the fast is broken with prayer and a meal called iftar. Following the meal, it is customary for Muslims to go out visiting family and friends. The following morning, the fast resumes.

Now I'm not advocating an "all roads lead to heaven" amalgamated theology, but rather there are some beautiful traditions that from which a casual, suburban Christian could learn and deepen their faith. I know I could.

Once you get into Kwanzaa, veneration of the Easter Bunny, or mother earth as represented by the moon and the stars, then we're into a different story. These things should be a further reminder of how we - and by "we" I mean "me"- as Christians have failed to carry God's message of selfless love to those who feel the God-shaped void in their life. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the right to make up holidays was part of the original Bill of Rights, but was removed due to the constitutional framers desire to be concise, while still covering most bases. Also, they were tired of writing. Can you envision Ben Franklin wagging his hand from a writer's cramp saying, "you know, Tom, I say let's cap this thing at ten - it's a nice, round number and it's good enough as it is. Don't you think?"

I agree. My hand hurts...

Santa Is A Communist

2006-12-18T17:07:00.000-06:00

Apologies in advance to Santa fans, believers and apologists, but he's a communist. Just a big, fat card-carrying, goose-stepping commie.

I don't make this charge lightheartedly or without just cause. Allow me to lay out the case:

THE CASE: Kris Kringle = Communist

1. His outfit: anyone who wears that much red would certainly have garnered attention from more casual observers than Joseph McCarthy. Where else can you find this much red? The old hammer and sickle flag of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the flag of China and possibly a campy horror movie. Throw in the big, goose-stepping boots and you have yourself a bona-fide communist suspect. On we go.

2. Worker's paradise: I'm no communist expert, but I believe this is either a goal or a happy by-product of their overall ethos. The worker's paradise is where most of the workers live and work gladly for the greater good of the whole system. Having grown up at the tail end of the Cold War, it seems fitting to me that any misguided attempt at this would be in a cold environment- and the North Pole certainly counts. The elves all dress alike; working non-stop making toys for allegedly good little boys and girls. Is everyone equal in this paradise? No. Big, commie Santa drives production schedules, determining who gets what and probably keeping his big, fat, commie thumb on population control. Ewww...

3. Redistribution of wealth: Santa, as it's commonly known, travels around the world giving toys to the "good" kids and sticks or lumps of coal to the "bad" kids. This is nothing more than a central tenet of communism, whatever there is, spread it around among the peasants. That's his whole cache.

4. Power in the hands of the few: No, I don't accuse Santa of having a People's Congress or even a Politburo, Santa is a one-man power monger. He rules. Got a request? Write a letter beseeching Santa! Want a ride in a sleigh? Talk to Santa! Got a mutant, red-nosed kid who's hard-up for work? Ask Santa for a job. There's no committee, just Santa.

5. Last strikes: In no way do they further my case for Santa the communist, but they paint this rogue in a less-than-idyllic light and thus deserve fair mention as stray bullets in this character-assasination.

Breaking-and-entering, writ large

Commonly understood drug use (both Santa and those hopped-up reindeer) - It's commonly assumed, but rarely mentioned that he's a huge consumer of narcotics. How else can he cover the globe in one night? Santa's cousin must be part Columbian (not the coffee kind, either.)

Overeating - Cookies, cakes, brownies, tacos - all the good stuff and plenty of it are consumed by Santa en masse on his annual hellacious trek of drug-binged continent-hopping.

No regulatory oversight - When the elves have a beef about working conditions? To whom do they turn? Got a complaint about a deffecitve toy? You're up a creek. There is no other authority to whom you can turn! What other industry is so unincumbered?

Capitalist?
Many people confuse Santa with capitalism due to his popularity in the United States. This is simply not true. The fact that retailers benefit from his promotion is one of those queer ironies in a country full of them.

Christian?
Others confuse him as being a Christian icon. Gladly, there is no connection between Santa and Christianity except coincidence. I'd like to tell my neighbor about this as he has a plywood cutout of Santa worshipping a baby Jesus in a manger. Tacky aside, this is seriously askew. Santa represents everything that's wrong with Christmas, and maybe even the human heart's desire for more stuff.

My Story?
When I was told by my alleged parents that Santa did not exist, it took me several months to begin to trust them again. Were there secret passageways in our house? (For some reason, I believed the pinnacle of deception was "secret passageways" making it easier to get around in my world.) If there's no Santa, and there are secret passageways, what else are they not telling me? Who knows?

Then again, there's so much dis-information about Santa, who can say what he is? Anyway, I gotta go. Rudolph is on!!

***********

Edit: December 19th

After writing this, I tried to find my own blog by searching for "Santa is a communist". I was disheartened to find that there are literally thousands of other posts, comments, etc. pointing to the fact that Santa is a communist. Here I thought that this was an original thought. That's what I get for thinking. I guess the cops are right: the only thing that seperates us one from another is our fingerprints.