5 posts tagged “resume”
While walking through the Arts & Music Festival in Hoboken, New Jersey my came across a vendor who sold hand carved desk items that depicted various professions. We searched for one that was appropriate for a "coach" but were disappointed to find the only items of this nature were for athletic coaches.
If you are on unfamiliar with the field of coaching you might be interested to know that coaching is a rapidly growing, exciting career path that is revolutionizing the field of personal and professional development. It is important to note that coaching is not therapy or counseling and should not be treated as a alternative to such. The goal of coaching is often to help clients reach SMART Goals. Goals that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable / Actionable, Realistic / Relevant and Timely.According to the International Coaching Federation “clients are naturally creative, resourceful and capable of finding their own solutions.”
Coaches may specialize in a variety of areas that include but are not limited to business, parenting, relationships, and leadership. My specialty is career coaching. Over the years, I have coached hundreds of clients in transitioning to a new career or position that is supports their values, skills, knowledge and interests. In helping clients move away from the chaos of their minds and into the realm of possibility I draw upon a variety of skills and models to help coachees reach their professional goals. In order to help you better understand what the coaching relationship looks like, I have provided the following case study from my private business.
CASE STUDY
Susan C.
Background
Susan C. (not her real name).,, a young year old female, lived at home with home grandparents and received unemployment.. She first contacted me to write her resume. During the project I found she had a poor record of employment However, she impressed me with her motivation, and honesty. She completed assignments quickly and called a day ahead to confirm our meetings. My gut feelings told me that she could benefit from coaching.
Establishing the Relationship
While the resume was being written I asked if she interested interested in career coaching. To establish the relationship l told her what the coaching relationship involved. Given her personal and professional goals it was an ideal time for Susan C. to accept coaching.
We moved forward to an introductory call. During the call I asked Susan C. to rank on a scale of 1 to 10 (1 being couldn't care less and 10 being total and sheer excitement) how committed she was to her goals. She said a 10 and that she had been thinking about this for at least two years. If she were able to achieve some other goals first it would rank it a 12. Immediately after the call I sent Susan C. a Welcome Packet to complete and email back to me prior to our first call.
These steps laid the foundation of the coaching relationship and provided Susan C. with clear guidelines as to what was expected of her.
Establishing Performance Goals
During the first call we reviewed Welcome Packet to clarify Susan C.'s goals. Out of the 7 areas of the Whole Life Model (this can be viewed online by doing a search for the Wheel of Life) Susan C. chose to work on career, finance and physical environment. It was necessary for Susan C. to reach her initial goals of finding a job in order to support her other two goals. In the meantime she would read several books and review websites to anchor her commitment to her financial goals.
This phase of the engagement helped create a road map. that defined where Susan C. wanted to go and what she needed to get there. Clear notes helped me track key points that would act as a guide during her journey.
Ongoing Active Coaching
To establish a clear direction we verbally reviewed a coaching call prep form at the beginning of each call. Over the engagement Susan C. designed an effective strategy that attracted job interviews for which I asked thought provoking questions to help prepare her. To address a personal relationship issue I introduced different models and presented ways to reframe her thoughts and ideas as well as metaphors that allowed her to form her own insights and solutions. I shared resources such as websites, books and made a referral to a social worker to advance her healing around personal and family issues.
To support her in making a decision whether to attend school this semester, I used the SMART Goals model and asked what she needed to weigh and who needed to be involved in making this decision. As a result she decided to avail herself of several organizational trainings and revisit attending school the following semester.
During our first call Susan C. said she felt hopeful that it was not to late to get her life together. Over the weeks she said she benefited from having me listen objectively and hold a space that helped her make her own decisions. When I asked if there was anything she would like me to change or do less of she said that I was doing fine and she really felt she was benefiting from the relationship. It was powerful and suprising for me to learn how positive it was for her to be heard.
Completion
Susan C. is a delightful coachee who is deeply committed to achieving her goals despite her difficult home environment. Witnessing her growth helped me to understand how powerful coaching can be. I found myself wondering how her life might have been different had we not entered in this unique and special coaching relationship.
Susan C.'s first day on her new job as an administrative assistant was a few weeks ago. That night Susan C. excitedly shared with me all about the opportunities for advancement. She has already established new career goals and defined several steps that she needs to take to achieve her financial and physical environment goals.
We reviewed where she had started from and where she was now, which she expressed happiness and gratitude for my helping reach her goal growth in less than two months. Next week we will speak to determine our next steps.
Like a good book, your resume should capture and hold the interest of your readers, hiring managers. By using the same techniques that authors use to create best sellers you can compose a resume that makes it to the top of the candidate pool.
1. Present a job objective that will appeal to the readers’ interest. A clearly stated objective such as PROJECT MANAGER / BUSINESS ANALYST will get more attention then “a challenging position that will utilize my skills and talents.”
2. Think of your profile or Career Summary as the back cover copy of a book or a mini sales letter. Some hiring managers decide in as little as 10 seconds whether to call you or toss your documents in the circular file.
3. Keep your profile no longer than 6 lines. Make every word count; your profile is 10 times more powerful than the sections that follow. Use sound bites; action oriented verbs and KEY words; picture and emotional words, benefits, not features to keep your message focused and capture your readers' attention.
4. Writers know readers like to focus on one topic at a time. include only information that is relevant to your career or job objective. Omit information such as marital status, age, weight, and any data that is unrelated to your objective.
5. What are your readers most interested in? Take the time to research the jobs and companies that interest you. What qualities, skills, or knowledge are they looking for? What have you accomplished, have knowledge about, or are skilled in that will demonstrate you are qualified to do the job.
6. A well-designed, clean, simple layout with ample white space is easier to read than a document that has multiple type fonts and type styles. Use BULLET POINTS TO CALL ATTENTION TO ACCOMPLISHMENTS, BOLD FACE TYPE for Section Headers, Job Titles and / or Company Names, Academic Degrees and / or Colleges or Universities.
7. The key to good writing is edit, edit and edit some more. What if your readers can spot grammatical errors that you didn't know were there? EVERY MISTAKE IN GRAMMAR, SPELLING, SENTENCE STRUCTURE, AND OVERALL ORGANIZATION, ANYTHING THAT TRIPS UP THE SMOOTH FLOW OF IDEAS FROM YOU TO YOUR READER IS A POTENTIAL MINEFIELD. Once your resume and cover letter are completed have the documents proofread by someone other than you.
This coming Columbus Day I will be walking 39 miles in the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. In preparation for the big event, I walked over 5 miles this evening . I started out with a goal to walk 8 miles. By the time I reached Scarsdale, it became apparent that I would only reach 5 or 6 and encounter some unexpected surprises. My shoelaces were tied to tight, the soles of my feet began to ache around mile three and if I continued to sip my bottle of water a more urgent situation was going to occur. Shortly before mile four I was aching to turnaround and head home. However, knowing I was building endurance helped me to push past the aches and continue up a hill. I listened to Anita Baker as I cooled down. I felt great, I completed over five miles, burned 632 calories and walked 17,892 steps and mentally began to plan subsequent walks.
As I reflected on my latest milestone it occurred to me preparing for a marathon was similar to the job search. process. At first a new job seeker, such as a recent college graduate or long time employee, may set his or her goals too high or too low and adjust them as they get more information. Along the way surprises are bound to arise Several of my clients have reported having a great interview only never to hear from the company again. They came to realize how a company treats you during the hiring process is an indication of how they will be treated as an employee. Others, in their haste, prepared a resume that lacked focus and had to invest in having it redone after their goals were more clearly defined. As unemployment rates skyrocketed in the wake of 911, I assisted clients who were out of work for over a year. The ones who were successful stayed focused on their goals and learned how to adjust to market changes by developing new skills and knowledge that gave them the competitive edge.
Whether you are currently in or anticipating being in a job search or marathon here are some ideas to help you reach the finish line:
- Get plenty of rest, eat a healthy diet and exercise, achievement is fueled with energy.
- Push yourself forward - build on your strengths and recognize your limitations.
- Stay flexible both in body and mind. Be willing to adjust your goals.
- Track your progress, even the baby steps add up.
- Form your own personal cheering section.Tell friends, family, colleagues, coaches and mentors how they can help and support you.
- Remember the right tools and equipment are an investment not an expense.
- Reward your accomplishments - even the little ones.
- Be prepared for the unexpected.
- Remember challenge is an obstacle waiting to be overcome.
Well, it's Monday and I am back in the office after taking a week long training in the Myers Briggs Personality Type administration and validation. I am always amazed by my passion for learning, which, in part, can be attributed to my Myers Briggs Personality Type.
According to my validation of personality type, I am an ENFP. ENFP's are credited with being warmly enthusiastic and imaginative. See life as full of possibilities (for me, learning presents many new possibilities). Make connections between events and information very quickly (I am usually anxious to share my knowledge to benefit clients, friends, family and colleagues) and proceed on patterns they see. Want a lot of affirmation from others and readily give appreciation and support (I just love it when clients report back that they've gotten a better position or that the resume I wrote turned their job search around1) Spontaneous and flexible, often rely on their ability to improvise and their verbal fluency.
