A contemporary framework of the ProNet job search skills and best practices

1.  Consulting Jim Burkett, Principal
A Contemporary Model of Employment
Foreword:
To my ProNet Connections partners and other valuable, displaced people - I wish to share my energy, personal
experience, and insights into an old and new paradigm of finding employment. It’s a tale of my journey of seeking
meaningful employment from my pre-ProNet efforts to the present day; replete with memorable acronyms,
unsolicited reinforcement of the tools and lessons I’ve learned, and my personal performance metrics. I present a
visual and verbal description of You-Company-Network concepts I conceived while searching for work.
Introduction: Old Paradigm: The Melodrama
The opening topic, “Old Paradigm”, is a description of a This drama has two actors played by the Company and
classic Company-You model. The Company has an You, representing the current Job Market and the
unfulfilled task needing attention; significant enough to current Labor Market.
hire a new employee. You, oozing with talents, skills, Model of Employment: Old Paradigm  Consulting
and experience, have applied for the job; knowing you
Job Market Labor Market
would be the best candidate ever.
The keynote topic, “Contemporary Paradigm” is a You-
Company You
Company-Network model that puts You in the driver’s
seat. Your responsibilities are to (a) Increase your own
employability, to (b) Increase the awareness of your own
talents, skills, and experience, and to (c) Generate
goodwill from others; oh, and that you are seeking The curtain rises with the Company tending to business
meaningful employment, too! with its Customers, Suppliers, and Competitors. In time,
the Company perceives it has a specific, unfulfilled task
The payoff in the “Old Paradigm” is a losing proposition needing attention that is significant enough to hire a new
in time, expense, emotional energy, and results. employee. The Company distills out the specific
requirements and desired skills to fulfill the task, then
The payoff in the “Contemporary Paradigm” is that You creates a job description. If circumstances warrant, the
exercise proven strategies and tactics to target specific opening and job description are electronically posted to
companies that fit your requirements, that You use direct the world.
and indirect methods to reach these companies and their
Model of Employment: Old Paradigm  Consulting
key decision-making individuals, and that You effectively
and efficiently engage in a mutually beneficial Competitors
Job Market Labor Market
relationship.
Throughout this document, I discuss topics from the job Customers Company You
hunter’s perspective. I’ll individually examine key Specifc
Posting
players, linkages and dynamics, and specific content Suppliers
Task à Skills à Job
relevant to the topic area. And, I boldly offer specific
skills and content to be developed; as well as some
specific, tangible actions to be taken. Meanwhile, You have written a masterful resume
highlighting your obvious talents, skills, and experiences.
I begin the discussion by introducing the key players, You actively scan the internet for the latest, interesting
then sequentially add content and details until a unified, postings and suddenly find the Company’s newest
though complex, picture emerges. Liberal use of visual opening. Quickly, You fill out the application, attach your
and verbal descriptions should make my point. resume plus a well-crafted cover letter, and press send.
Model of Employment: Old Paradigm  Consulting
I’m no Michaelangelo, just a stick figure guy, but I do try Job Market Labor Market
to identify the sources of quantifiable data. Competitors
Application
Cover Letter + Resume
Hopefully, this story will shorten your job search journey. Customers Company You Cover Letter
Resume
There is always room for improvement. Inputs welcome. Posting
Specifc
Task à Skills à Job Talents – Skills -- Experience
Suppliers
Jim Burkett, November 2010
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2.  Consulting Jim Burkett, Principal
And You wait; and wait; and wait; and wait some more. Three Reasons Why The Old Paradigm Doesn’t Work
If you’re lucky you might receive a “Thanks, but no
(1) There is a fundamental mismatch between the
thanks” response, but mostly there’s nothing for You.
Company’s goal and Your goal. The
Model of Employment: Old Paradigm  Consulting
Company wants a “pair of hands” to fulfill a
Job Market Labor Market task; whereas You are seeking a meaningful,
Competitors
professional career.
Application
Cover Letter + Resume
(Thanks, No Thanks, No Response) Cover Letter
(2) The odds of success are overwhelmingly against
Customers Company You
You. Okay, so I’ve exaggerated the job-to-
Resume
Posting
Specifc
Task à Skills à Job Talents – Skills -- Experience
applicants ratio, but, ProNet has shared that the
Suppliers
success rate of securing a position through the
internet is 4%. My personal experience is 0%.
What’s happened? Why doesn’t the Company see how (3) It’s not about YOU! The Old Paradigm starts
brilliantly qualified, or overqualified, You are? with the Company and ends with the Company;
First of all, the Company posted their opening to the initiation, control, and continuance are theirs.
internet savvy Job Market, not to You. Their single You are merely in a supporting role, at best.
posting has generated hundreds, if not thousands of Three Conclusions
applicants. It’s painful and costly to the Company to sort
through and respond to so much material. It’s more cost (1) The only actions You can take are: scan, apply,
effective to invest in technology to filter through all the and wait. To me, these are rather passive.
applications and find only those that fully, completely, (2) The Old Paradigm is inefficient and ineffective.
and 100% match the specific requirements and skills. You invest a lot of yourself for little or no gain.
Model of Employment: Old Paradigm  Consulting
(3) Don’t play this game, and get a better model.
Job Market Labor Market
Competitors
1000s Applications
Cover Letters + Resumes
Customers Company You Cover Letter
Resume
US Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics,
1 Posting September 2010: “5.0 job seekers to each job opening”
Specifc
Task à Skills à Job Talents – Skills -- Experience
Suppliers
What Color Is Your Parachute? Richard Nelson Bolles
“According to Bolles, the number one worst job search
The response to the posting has gone viral. No wonder method is trying to find a job on the Internet. The
You haven’t had a phone interview; nor proceeded down success rate for this method is about 4%.”
st nd
the path of 1 and 2 interviews or received any job
offers; or any idea if the Company is interested in You. Job seeker to job ratio a stat mashup, SFGate.com,
Model of Employment: Old Paradigm  Consulting
July 15, 2010, Kathleen Pender
“ Kaiser Permanente says it is getting more than 200
Competitors
Job Market
A L Labor Market
applicants per opening for clinical jobs …, more than 70
applications per job in non-clinical areas …, and more
IR
1000s Applications
Customers Company
Cover Letters + Resumes
(Thanks, No Thanks, No Response)
You Cover Letter
than 400 for each entry-level job ...”
Resume
1 Posting
V
Specifc
Task à Skills à Job Talents – Skills -- Experience
Suppliers
Variations: Job Boards and Recruiters
Some of You may be proactive by submitting your
resumes to Job Boards or by engaging Recruitment
Agencies. I believe these merely redirect the flow of
postings and applications, but do not fundamentally
change the mechanics or dynamics of the process.
YOYO Performance Metrics: Case Study Evidence
Here’s some loose data from my personal “You’re On
Your Own” job search as experienced over two years of
part-time effort. The measures are number of:
st
applications submitted, phone screens or 1 interviews,
nd
2 interviews or follow-ups, and job offers. Not pretty.
st nd
Apps 1 2 Offers
200+ 15-20 2-3 0
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3.  Consulting Jim Burkett, Principal
you are and what you like to do. When you can align
Contemporary Paradigm: A New Model your personal-self with your working-self, life is better.
Frustrated with the Old Paradigm and sated with many Branding You: your unique abilities
new tools and concepts, I envisioned a new model that
Listing your talents, skills, experience, and education are
attempts to unite the pieces, to give context, and to
the building blocks of content for your resume. You need
guide job seekers towards their goal of employment.
mortar to bind them together into a cohesive package. I
suggest you add at least these three binding agents to
Key Players:
your story: SARs, 5 Questions, and Value Proposition.
You: an active, job-seeking, displaced professional
Developing SAR Stories: Situation-Action-Result
Company: any source of meaningful compensation
Network: the rest of the world SARs are about accomplishment and value
delivered. For every bullet point on your resume,
Your Responsibilities: you should have a prepared short-story to tell. I
prepare an “accomplishment sentence” to open
1) Increase your employability
each SAR story using the following format:
2) Increase your exposure
3) Increase the goodwill from others I [value delivered] in [this area] by [doing this]
Model of Employment Increase Employability
 Consulting
For example, “I [saved millions $] in [software
The Direct Path
support quotation administration] by
[restructuring technical contractual services].
You Company
The Professional The Target
I then have 3 sentences ready to tell the story…
Situation: We were losing sales because the
quotation process took 2 to 3 days.
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Action: I simplified the overall contract structure,
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Relationships
reduced the number of service options, and
standardized the price of each option.
Results: Sales reps loved the changes because
You: An active, job-seeking, displaced professional they saved time and won more sales. The back
office loved did too because there were fewer
When focused on You, three important prerequisites documents to assemble, fewer part numbers to
emerge; each necessary to successfully engage in job record, and fewer mistakes made. The finance
hunting; and each with a myriad of subjects to master. team said we saved millions.
Prerequisites: Answering 5 Questions That Matter [R. Bolles]
1) Finding You: your passions Richard Bolles has distilled the thousands of
2) Branding You: your unique abilities potential interview questions into five that matter.
3) Selling You: your marketing toolkit You should know the answer to each before you
Model of Employment  Consulting
even approach a potential employer!
Increase Employability
Review
& Edit
The Direct Path
1) Why are you here? ….…….job seeking
Will you fit? …………………alignment
1) Finding You
- Self-Assess and Reflect
- Strengths Finder 2)
Passion
- True Colors
- Skills Set Inventory
- Values Inventory
-
You Company 3) What distinguishes you?....your uniqueness
What can you do for us? …value proposition
-
2) Branding You
- Talents
The Professional The Target
4)
- Skills
5) Can we afford you?...........compensations
Content
- Experience / Education
- Situation Action Results
- 5 Key Questions
- Value Proposition
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Creating a Value Proposition
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3) Selling You
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Network
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- Master Resume
wi
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- Target Resume
od
- Profile
Your value proposition tells a potential employer
re
Go
- Professional Biography
- Business Card Relationships
- Cover Letter / Thank You
what you can do for them by fulfilling an unmet
Toolkit
- On-Line Presence
- “You” Incorporated
- Informational Interviewing
need. You are fanning their desire to take the
- Behavioral Interviewing
- Maintaining Contact
- BATNA
- Blogging
-
-
-
employment engagement to the next level.
Finding You: your passions “Make them an offer they can’t refuse”.
Finding yourself is all about self-assessment and There are more tools and devices to create attractive
reflection (yes, it’s a different form of a SAR story). messages to potential employers. Each topic above
There are dozens of tools to identify your inner self: could be discussed and developed further. They are not
personality profiles, skills and values inventories, and exclusive, but I believe they are the most important.
behavioral traits. Knowing yourself is different than
displaying your educations or credentials. It’s about who
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4.  Consulting Jim Burkett, Principal
Selling You: your marketing toolkit
Company: any source of meaningful compensation
There is no shortage of marketing collateral you could
Locating a potential and viable source requires you:
develop, but let me suggest a basic set of documents
and skills. (a) to choose the intended form of worker-employer
relationship and compensation,
Documents: in decreasing order of content
(b) to identify and target relevant and meaningful
0) “You” Incorporated: for professional presence candidate Companies,
1) Master resume; for brand continuity (c) to develop information about each Company and
2) Target resume: for specific engagements specific People,
3) Professional profile: for general visibility (d) to craft a specific Value Proposition message for
4) Professional biography: for credibility each Company,
5) Personal business card: for P-P interactions (d) to choose a strategic approach and craft specific,
6) Cover Letters and Thank You Letters purposeful messages for each situation,
7) Elevator speech, branding statement (e) to carefully play the “Dating Game”, and
8) Name tag (f) to evaluate your experiences and performance.
Skills: practice, practice, practice
Model of Employment Increase Employability
 Consulting
1) Informational Interviewing The Direct Path Review
& Edit
2) Behavioral Interviewing Relationships
1) W2 Employee
2) Form 1099 Contractor
3) BATNA: best alternative to no agreement 3) Business – Client
4) Internship
You Company 5) (Volunteerism)
4) Maintaining contact The Professional The Target
1) Targeting
Function
Why, How
Do your initial research
- keyword LinkedIn “Cos”
Industry - ask your network
Territory - Business Journal lists
On-Line Presence Name / Department Do even more research
- company website
- press releases
Products / Services
ath
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Culture / Values - Sac Business Journal
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People / Organization - blog search
1) LinkedIn: mandatory profile and biography
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Goals / Objectives / Needs - annual reports
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- Google “people”
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- LinkedIn “people”
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Role & Value
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- industry events
2) Blogging: optional Network
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Proposition - competition
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- customer profiles
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2) Positioning What
Relationships First Contact Message
Q1: Seeking right role
Cover Letter
Q2: FIT, culture, values
Review & Edit: continuous learning and improvement Q3: Your Uniqueness
Q4: Value Proposition
Target Resume
Informational Interview
Thank You / Next Steps
3) “Dating” How Well
Keep score
A: Awareness
Evaluate yourself
No one gets it right the first time, or the last time. I: Interest
D: Desire
A: Action
Evaluate your results
Review & Edit
Circumstances and situations change; new data is
gathered and assessed; new strategies and tactics are Choosing a Relationship: form of compensation
developed; and You have expanded your talents, skills, 1) W2 Employee
and experiences. Repetitive cycles of “Review & Edit” 2) Form 1099 Contractor
are absolutely necessary. Prepare for them. 3) Independent Business to Client
“A good [job seeker] is compelled to evaluate what’s 4) Internship
happened, so that he can apply what he’s learned.” 5) Volunteer
6) Mentoring
Cmdr. Mike Metcalf “Viper”, 7)
(Tom Skerritt), Top Gun, 1986 8)
You Again: Hunting and Prospecting 9)
Everyone has their special blend of ”Working” assets Targeting: FIT - Function, Industry, Territory
(talents, skills, experience, education). After all, you FIT: Function, Industry, Territory
have spent a career or two developing and nurturing
them. But there are two other assets needed in today’s Function: applicable skill sets
employment market: “Hunting” target companies and Industry: relevant business knowledge
“Prospecting” network relationships. Territory: willingness to travel or commute
Model of Employment Increase Employability
 Consulting Developing Information: conducting research
Review Hunting The Direct Path Working
To find Company names:
& Edit Talents Talents
Skills Skills
Experience Experience
1) Finding You
 Search LinkedIn “Companies”
- Self-Assess and Reflect
- Strengths Finder
Passion
- True Colors
- Skills Set Inventory
 Ask your Network
- Values Inventory
-
You Company
-
The Professional The Target
2) Branding You
- Talents
- Skills
 Scan Sacramento Business Journal lists
Content

- Experience / Education Prospecting
- Situation Action Results Talents
- 5 Key Questions Skills
Experience
- Value Proposition
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3) Selling You

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- Master Resume
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- Target Resume
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- Professional Profile
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- Professional Biography
- Business Card Relationships
- Cover Letter / Thank You
Toolkit
- On-Line Presence
- “You” Incorporated
- Informational Interviewing
- Behavioral Interviewing
- Maintaining Contact
- BATNA
- Blogging
To find information about a Company
 Search Company website: products and
-
-
-
services, culture and values, goals and
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5.  Consulting Jim Burkett, Principal
objectives, customer profiles, press releases, interest because of [FIT: Function, Industry,
annual reports Territory and culture/values]. I may be of value to
 Ask your Network your [products/services] clients.”
 Scan local media for news articles A real example [actual e-mail text]:

 “I researched your company via LinkedIn where I
 found many similarities to my interests and
background. I am a Process Improvement
To find People within a Company: Professional with an ITIL certification which may
 Search Company website be of value to your customers.”
 Send informational inquiry to HR@Company Playing the “Dating Game”: the real sales cycle
 Ask your Network
You have to engage the Company to move forward. I
 Scan local media
use the AIDA scale to measure the status of the
 Attend targeted Networking events
relationship and to guide the specific message.

  Awareness: getting attention
  Interest: generating curiosity
 Desire: finding mutual benefit and potential loss
To find information about People:  Action: getting an employment or contract offer
 Use search engines: LinkedIn, Google
Developing an Approach and Specific Messages
 Looks for blogs or chats
 Whenever You contact a Company, whether written
 or verbal, have a specific goal in mind. Each piece of
 communication should reinforce your Value
Proposition, contribute to the AIDA-scale, and include
a specific request for the Company’s action.
Information to Gather: a sampling
a) First Contact Message: a short (2-3 sentences)
Required: communication to generate awareness and
a) Company name, department, people interest; and to request an informational
b) Products and services interview.
c) Culture and values
d) Goals and objectives Add a direct request to your Value Proposition
e) (above) to finish your first contact message.
f) “Would you be willing to speak with me about
g) your Company, and how my skills and
experiences may be of value.”
Optional:
h) Current unmet needs, problems End with a comfortable salutation, your name,
i) Future plans, opportunities a phone number, and the URL to your
j) Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats LinkedIn profile.
k) b) Cover Letter: a modest (2-3 paragraphs)
l) communication to generate further and
m) interest; to reinforce Your Value Proposition; to
Positioning: Crafting a Value Proposition introduce your Resume; and to ask for more
contact to further explore the possibilities.
Reviewing 4 of 5 Questions That Matter
c) Target Resume: a longer (2 page max),
1) Why are you here? ….…….job seeking √ tailored communication focused your talents,
2) Will you fit? …………………alignment √ skills, and experiences; plus SARs stories that
3) What distinguishes you?....your uniqueness √ emphasize the value You have given prior
4) What can you do for us? …value proposition Companies.
 Match your uniqueness (talents, skills,
experiences, education) with Company’s d) Informational Interview: generally a face-to-
needs (products/services, goals/objectives) face meeting of 15-30 minutes duration to
generate interest and possibly desire.
Value Proposition … selling You, consistently
Quickly restate your interest in the Company
I use a verbal template to frame my value and desire to gain more knowledge in the
proposition; and employ it consistently. agreed amount of time. The goal is to have
“I am a job-seeking [your profession] with [your the Company find value in You by matching
uniqueness]. I found your Company profile of the needs with your skills.
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6.  Consulting Jim Burkett, Principal
Be flexible and conscientious. If time is a hard
constraint, honor the commitment and end
Network: the rest of the world
with a simple Thank You and a Next Step. Your Network is all about building relationships. It’s
about making goodwill deposits now and reaping interest
If the Company stays at the table, go for it!
benefits later. The absolute best way to secure
You’re having a constructive conversation and
employment is through your Network.
developing a relationship for mutual benefit
with a potentially rewarding payoff. Using your Network requires a prepared play, taking
actions, and review performance.
http://www.articlesbase.com/interviews-
articles/a-fun-and-effective-job-search- Model of Employment Increase Employability
 Consulting
strategy-informational-interviews- The Direct Path
3355715.html
You Company
e) Thank You Note: another short (2-3 The Professional The Target
sentences), sent no more than 3 days after an
interaction. Obviously, thank each participant
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for their time and candor. Recap what
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happened and your conclusions. If positive,
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ask for a next step or state what you will do Relationships
Relationships
within a 2-3 week window. If your conclusion 1) On Line (Linked In)
2) Person-to-Person
3) Social media
Review
& Edit
is negative, pursue your BATNA (I usually ask 1) Set Objectives
- Learn something
2) Choose Venues
Function
3) Practice, practice
Attend events
- Evaluate a theory Industry Listen and share
for their acceptance of a LinkedIn connection). - Build new relationships
Write them down each time
Territory
Find matching opportunities
Learn about the person
Write a review & share it,
- increase employability - professional societies Evaluate the experience
- increase exposure - public forums Compare results
- increase goodwill - luncheons / speakers Review & Edit
Another tip to move your AIDA relationship forward is - improve value proposition
- better prospecting skills
- Chamber mixers
- fundraisers
“gifting” or “paying forward”. Give something of
informational value to the Company, whether it’s
been asked for or not. For example, if the Company Using your Network effectively requires a plan, action,
showed interest in a particular job experience, give and review.
them more in some way; write a brief summary,
Setting Objectives
attach a URL to more information, or extend an
invitation to a Networking event. Planning is about projecting what you are going to do
Review & Edit: continuous learning and improvement and anticipating what is going to happen. It is also about
giving to yourself tangible measures of performance.
After each interaction, review performance and keep
score. Evaluate yourself as a written or verbal Let me suggest three areas for these objectives:
communicator. Assess where your relationship is with 1) Learn something: choose a topic area, within
the Company using the AIDA scale. Compare what your sphere of interest that you would gain from
you hoped to accomplish with what you did. Decide having additional knowledge. Be reasonable to
what changes to make to your approach, to your yourself, and don’t get too aggressive.
messages, or to your toolkit. Finally, set new
objectives for your next contact with any Company. 2) Evaluate a theory: take an idea you think is, or
should be true, and test it. Again, be simple.
Does ABC really react the same, or different,
than XYZ? What did you expect?
What Color Is Your Parachute? Richard Nelson Bolles
Compare and contrast; it’s another way of
“Doing a Life-Changing Job-Hunt … this method has an
learning by assessing new information.
86% success rate.”
3) Build new relationships: This is networking at its
“A Fun and Effective Job Search Strategy: core. Meet people. Tell them who you are and
Informational Interviews,” September 27, 2010 take a candid interest in them. There are many
“One out of 12 informational interviews results in a job motivational quotes, but I like to remind myself
offer.” that the person I’m speaking with is “the most
important person in the world”.
The key is to invest in goodwill. Find
something that is of common interest or
experience. Maybe offer to share something you
know; ask to connect via LinkedIn; exchange a
business card; write a note of thanks, or ask a
question that encourages the other to speak.
And follow up, 2 or 3 weeks later; you have to
judge the importance and appropriate timing.
November 29, 2010  Consulting Page 6 of 10