Positioning Yourself When You Have Been Out of Work for a Long Period of Time
What do you do when the last job on your resume ended a year ago? What do you do when you are applying for a job and the interviewer asks, “What have you been doing most recently?” and all you can think of is, “I have been looking for a job.” Unfortunately, in this market, this is a regular occurrence in interviews.
If you are embarrassed or feel awkward because there is a huge gap in your resume from your last role…don’t be. You are not alone, in fact, you have a lot of company. Where you can stand out in the crowd is how you answer the dreaded question, “What have you been doing lately?”
Some of you have been working part time doing retail, some of you have been doing contract work, some of you went to work for a friend and helped to start something, some of you have played a lot of video games – however, one thing remains constant: all of you have been out of work and have to answer to that. My point in bringing this up in a blog is to put it in front of you so you will begin to think about your answer. If you have not prepared an answer to this question, you are at a complete disadvantage – it is just as important as preparing an answer to “What are your strengths?”
The unemployment rate is dancing around 10%, again you are not alone but it does not mean that you are not going to be held accountable for your present status. You must first take responsibility for being unemployed, let’s face it – it is not ideal. But you must quickly answer the question and tell your interviewer what you have been doing. Get creative but do not lie. If you made repairs to your house, talk about that. If you volunteered at the animal shelter, talk about that. If you spent the summer on the beach and the winter on the slopes, talk about your soul searching and identifying the right role for you.
My point is, don’t shy away from it – there is no hiding from it. Take accountability and tell them what you have been doing – whether that was staying busy, working to put food on the table, or just bumming around trying to figure out your next move, you need to strategize and formulate an answer that is well thought out and articulate.
This should not be a detailed answer and you do not have to account for everyday that you were unemployed – it is a broad stroke question and calls for a broad stroke answer. That is why you need to put thought to it now and not later. If you are caught off guard by it – you will ramble and your answer will leave you out in the cold.
So, here are the guidelines to formulating your answer:
- Take accountability
- Be Honest
- Do Over Compensate with Details
Once you are comfortable with your positioning, practice it with peers and see what their response is. If they are skeptical, you are probably not on the right path. If they are accepting, then you are probably coming across as genuine and that is what you want. Get by this question and then you can get on to the meatier part of the interview…positioning your actual experience.
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Goal Setting After a Down Year: Recreate the Vision
Goals are set to encourage you to stretch beyond what is within your easy reach. One large caution for Sales Managers this year: do not allow your team to use 2009 as a benchmark for 2010’s achievement. As a Sales Manager, now is the time to recreate the vision. Now is the time to redefine success from a clean slate. The most successful sales professionals have heard the mantra, “Belief, Action, Results, and Motivation.” Now is the time to readdress this mantra as you adjust expectation.
Belief:
Your sales representatives need to believe that the goals they have set are achievable. Typically, your team’s perspective on what is “achievable” is undoubtedly skewed. Your challenge will be to identify the number or the correct criteria that defines success for this year. Once you find that goal, i.e. revenue number, reduce it to the ridiculous so representatives can understand the specific production expected each month/each week and what activity equates to this achievement. In our meetings with Sales Professionals, it is shocking how many candidates don’t understand their compensation plan or how they are measured. These representatives find it impossible to run for an undefined or misunderstood target and as a result, lose belief.
Action:
A common mistake while setting goals is the lack of plan or strategy behind a goal. 45% of American adults make one or more resolutions each year, however only three weeks into the year; 75% of those resolutions will have already been forgotten.* Without a structured plan to execute on, it is impossible to achieve goals. A quarter of the year could easily pass without you ever really knowing, you are actually doing nothing to make goal achievement possible. Sit down with your representatives and build out a specific plan. Define the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that discuss the action needed in order to achieve the goal. Once the plan is constructed, take action, set expectations and inspect to ensure success.
Results:
2010 is not 2009. Hold your team to higher standards but celebrate the small wins to create momentum and excitement straight out of the gates. This is crucial. Everything must feel different for your representatives to close the door on 2009 and it must be immediate. Your energy and excitement as a manager will be contagious and your team will run hard which will result in success.
Motivation:
By celebrating the small wins, your representative’s confidence will build. This motivation will fuel the continuation of this cycle. Where there are extra funds, make the investment in bringing back sales spiffs and bonuses. Build out a different, more aggressive compensation plan. These actions will show your confidence and commitment to putting together a good year and supporting your sales representatives. If dedicated and diligent, after 12 months you will be sitting down with your representatives at the end of the year discussing all that was achieved.
May I propose a New Year’s Resolution that will positively impact more people than just yourself: Be more than just a Sales Manager. Be a Mentor that inspires. If you are a manager, you have risen to that level because you know how to set and achieve goals. Take an uninterrupted hour and listen to your teams desires. Help them build a plan to achieve their goals. Meet with them regularly to go over progress. Care. Sales may be a numbers game, but it is people that either achieve or don’t achieve that number. Care about them. Spend a little extra time. I challenge you to see where it gets your team at the end of the year.
Cheers to a great 2010!!!!!
*http://www.proactivechange.com/resolutions/statistics.htm
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What is the Most Secure Job for 2010?
When the stock market fell off a cliff and credit was frozen and virtually impossible to find, companies moved aggressively to take shelter and weather the storm by cutting payroll and other expenses. Those who managed to survive and stay standing at the end of 2009 will see revenue growth in 2010. Those resilient companies will prosper on this long road to recovery throughout the coming years and they will create opportunities and focus on growth, not consolidation. The strong companies today are betting on their ability to bring in revenue and they are confident and see an incredible opportunity to grow their business. 2010 will be a building year, a year to focus on re-securing the footings and foundation in order to build a stronger more aggressive company in 2011. So what is the one job companies create when they are feeling confident in their ability to drive revenue? SALES JOBS!
Companies are now starting to see some relief. As credit continues to loosen, companies become more confident in their ability to bring back jobs. The first and most sought after jobs in 2010 will be sales. According to a report by Forbes.com*, two of the Top 10 most recession proof jobs are Financial Advisors (4th on the list) and Sales Representatives (6th on the list).
So why are sales roles considered more secure? Companies cut to the bone in 2009 due to the loss of revenue. Companies can often reduce workforce while increasing workload in every department across the enterprise, however the same is not true in the sales department. When companies reduce a sales force, they’ve reduced company revenue. Sales representatives can’t cover 3 territories and produce the same combined revenue that their past counterparts produced. When sales representatives are overloaded they lose deals to the competition. As a result, companies are looking to hire and replenish their once prosperous sales force in order to regain market share and increase revenue. They have lost revenue over the past year and are at risk of losing top talent. The top sales professionals that have weathered the storm are starting to explore new opportunities. They are the reason that companies have survived and as the sales job market begins to open, more options are presented to them. They are no longer fearful of losing their job and are, in fact, more comfortable taking the chance to see what other options they have in the market.
Organizations must be on the offensive in 2010 to build and hire top producing sales forces while recognizing that they will see increased attrition as the market gains momentum. Therefore, many companies will be aggressively searching for talented sales professionals that can add value immediately. If a company is not recruiting top talent, you can bet that their competition is. Those companies that capitalize on this market and recruit the greatest sales talent in 2010 will see exponential growth in 2011.
Here at Treeline, we are seeing this exact trend. Our clients had more urgency in December of 2009 than the entire year. They are eager to get back to pre-recession revenues and growth and are betting on a talented sales force to get them there. That being said, companies are building more efficient and effective sales forces. Therefore, there is currently a movement transitioning from large field sales presences to larger inside sales presence. Consumers are more comfortable buying online and with a SAAS based software model, web demos and video conferences, companies can close large deals without setting foot in a prospect’s office. Today, companies are preserving costs and doing business from one highly motivated, scalable and sustainable central location. The most aggressive of these companies are using many effective Sales 2.0 selling tools and are adapting quickly.
With the significant decline of many industries in 2009, many sales professionals are finding that it is time to re-invent themselves and build a skill set that is marketable for years to come. They find themselves burnt out and exploring new options. Many are looking back to the hottest industry in sales right now: the technology sector. We find that technology companies are adapting quickly to the Sales 2.0 methodology. They are focused on consistent revenue growth and are building sales forces with urgency. They are cutting costs by bringing their sales force inside and by using new technology solutions that help build pipelines and close business. They are consolidating their outside sales force by recognizing the needs of today’s consumer and the new sales process. Therefore, they have identified how to increase the efficiency of their sales team by reducing costs and increasing revenue.
In short, we see the hottest job in 2010 to be sales jobs and the hottest industry to be technology. Companies can no longer afford to work with a skeleton crew and definitely cannot afford the risk of loosing a top performer to their competition. It is too great a risk for companies to sit idle when most of their competition is on the hunt. Companies are selective and will only hire those that have a proven track record of success. However, for sales professionals there will be many more options to choose from in 2010 than 2009. So for talented sales professionals, consider yourself lucky to be in a great career.
For both company and candidate, keep pushing aggressively in 2010 and get ready to enjoy the fruits of your labor.
*http://www.forbes.com/2009/11/23/recession-proof-jobs-leadership-careers-employment.html
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Economic Pulse: Top News Stories of 2010
Articles from many news outlets are predicting a very optimistic 2010. Some claim that a full economic recovery won’t be felt until 2011, whereas others are pointing out the positive markings of the recent economy. Here’s an update on what’s happening in today’s news:
Boston’s housing market is leading the charge in market stabilization: CNBC
Harvard Professors and Boston Executives weigh in on the 2010 economy: Boston Globe
Cloud Computing is going up, up, but not away: SmartMoney
Predictions from The American Economic Association: WSJ
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